


Eye to Eye

by Brightwing



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-18 08:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11870142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brightwing/pseuds/Brightwing
Summary: Poor eyesight leads to better vision between Prompto and Ignis as they start to learn and understand that they may have more in common than they initially thought.





	1. Prompto Argentum Is Rudely Awoken From Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not be entirely an excuse to write about Prompto in glasses.

It's only been a few days since they left Insomnia and Prompto realized that he had already forgotten what a bed felt like. A motel was not the most glamorous accomodations for the night, and certainly not for the Crown Prince of Lucis and his entourage, but compared to campsites and caravans, it's like a little slice of paradise. The bed itself was nothing special: queen size, run of the mill, pillows a little too fluffy for his liking, but at that moment it time, it was like lying on a cloud. Prompto grabbed one of those overfluffed pillows and enveloped it in his arms as well as resting his head on it, feeling a sense of satisfaction as it slowly started to flatten to a normal and usable state. Life was good, and he expected to not move for at least an hour.

Fifteen minutes later he moved because his arm fell asleep under the combined weight of the pillow and his head. He turned his head to see Noctis and Gladiolus seated on the other bed facing each other, with a deck of cards between them engaged in serious competition. Gladiolus smirked and showed the cards in his hand to Noctis, who threw his cards onto the bed in defeat. The sound of running water in the suite's bathroom told him where the last member of their party was.

Despite the minor setbacks, Prompto thought the trip was going pretty well. They were a bit behind schedule, sure, but another day of driving and they'll be in Galdin Quay and on a boat bound for Altissia. It wasn't like they were late: they had left sooner than they had thought they needed to at King Regis' insistence. Maybe the king wanted to give them a few days of free time they could spend relaxing on the beach or sightseeing in Altissia. Maybe the king in his kingly wisdom he thought to give them a few extra days just in case. Or maybe he knew the four of them seemed to be bad luck beacons and accounted for that in the travel plans. Whatever the reason was, it worked out well. They'll still make it to their destination on time and then they'll celebrate the biggest wedding of the century.

The shower stopped and a few minutes later, Ignis emerged fully dressed in sleepwear and carrying the clothes he had worn that day. He had a towel around his shoulders and his hair was both damp and unstyled. Prompto had seen him like that a few times before, but it never ceased to be weird to him. Logically, he knew this was the same person he had just spent an entire day sitting next to in the Regalia, but Prompto's image of Ignis didn't match up with what his eyes were seeing. Ignis was always supposed to be immaculate, his dress as sharp as his mind. A being who was specifically engineered to be perfect in every way. As such, this version of Ignis, this unstyled, slightly damp, utterly exhausted from driving all day Ignis was difficult for Prompto's mind to process and comprehend.

"The bath is free," Ignis said before sitting down in a chair to check the messages on his phone. They hadn't decided on an order on who got to use the bathroom when and Prompto looked over to his two unwashed companions. However, neither seemed to have been listening, for Noctis loudly demanded a rematch from Gladiolus, who was more than happy to comply. Taking this to mean it was now officially his turn, Prompto fished out some comfortable clothes and a small bag from his luggage and claimed the bathroom for himself.

Inside, the first thing he did was brush his teeth and gargle with mouthwash. He didn't know if he had bad breath, but Prompto was never one to take chances on that front. The last thing he wanted was Lady Lunafreya passing out within seconds of meeting him because he neglected to use mouthwash. And then Noctis' wedding would be ruined. That, Prompto figured, was one of the worst possible things that had a slight, miniscule, nonzero chance of happening. The next thing he did was remove his contact lenses, leaning in close to the vanity mirror to pinch at his eye. When he was younger, it used to take ages for him to remove them as he wasn't used to the concept of almost, but not quite, poking himself in the eye in order to remove something that he had put on it by also almost, but not quite, poking himself in the eye. Now, the process only took seconds.

Once the lens in his left eye was removed, he cleaned it properly with solution and left it to soak in its case before repeating the process with the other eye. Prompto's eyesight was somewhat poor, having needed glasses since he was a young child. Years of staying up late to watch television or play video games did little to help, and while he wasn't completely helpless without them, he needed corrective lenses to go about his daily life. His contacts secure in their case, he turned the faucet in the shower and hopped in, feeling the dirt and stress of the day wash off his body and down the drain. He would never take a shower for granted again.

When Prompto left the bathroom, Noctis and Gladiolus hadn't given up on games and were staring intently at the cards in their hands. However, they were no longer playing a game for two for at some point, Ignis had decided to join them. Or, more likely, the two had managed to successfully pester him into playing. Compared to the other two, Ignis looked rather relaxed and confident and even with his blurry vision, Prompto could make out Noctis' jacket behind Ignis' back and Gladiolus' necklace around his neck, the latter an interesting contrast to Ignis' own necklace which was usually well hidden by the clean pressed dress shirts he liked to wear.

"Hey, Prompto," Noctis said, looking up from his cards. "Wanna join the next round?"

Prompto politely refused the invitation, deciding he was too tired to properly lose at cards and in moments, he's back on the bed and fast asleep.

* * *

Prompto awoke with a start, and for a moment, he was confused as to why. His sleep was dreamless and peaceful, undisturbed by nightmares, and one glance out the window told him that it wasn't morning yet. The sky was still dark although he could see a slight tinge of purple beginning to creep up over the horizon. So why did he wake up all of a sudden?

The answer came to him as a thin arm that appeared out of nowhere and dropped directly onto his face.

Beside him, Noctis twisted and graciously removed his hand from Prompto's face all while still being in sleep's comfortable embrace. He must have been dreaming, for he shifted again and lightly kicked Prompto in the shin. Wonderful. Prompto knew he couldn't fall back asleep like this. With a sigh, he reached over to grab his phone and held it close to his face to check the time. The backlight was far too intense for that time of night and Prompto had to squint slightly at the sudden brightness being beamed directly into his eyes. 4:13 AM. Maybe it was a good thing he decided to just pass out right after his shower. It meant he got a couple more hours of sleep.

Prompto's best course of action was to get out of bed, as much as he didn't want to, but the alternative was letting Noctis unconsciously smack and kick him, and that was a far less appealing option than moving. Maybe he could read a book or play on his phone for a few hours while waiting for everyone else to wake up. Reluctantly, Prompto reached over the side of the bed to where his luggage was and groped around blindly within it until his hands found a rectangular case with rounded corners. Opening it, he pulled out a pair of glasses, one with thick black frames and rectangular lenses, and put it on, making the suite come into focus. Prompto rarely wore his glasses; he hadn't expected to wear them on this trip and had only brought them along "just in case," but there was no way he was going to put on his contact lenses that early in the morning.

Reaching over to the lamp on the nightstand, Prompto hesitated briefly before turning it on. A little bit of light never woke Noctis up before, and it certainly wasn't going to start now. Still, the clicking sound the lamp made as the switch was flicked still sounded impossibly loud. He glanced over Noctis at the other bed, but all Prompto could see was Gladiolus' back, his friend's massive bird tattoo proudly on display. At last, Prompto sat up and yawned before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

In the end, he decided to neither read or play on his phone, for he actually hadn't brought any reading material and King's Knight isn't much fun to play solo. Instead, Prompto got his camera and settled into one of the chairs of the suite to browse through the photos he had taken of their journey so far starting from the pictures he had taken in Insomnia, of the city and the people they left behind. It hadn't been long, but it already felt like they left ages ago. It was easy for him to get absorbed into each picture, taking several moments to remember the memories associated with each one.

"Mind if I join you?"

Prompto nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise and looked up even though he knew who it was. That voice and that manner of speaking were unmistakeable. Even then, Prompto almost didn't recognize the man before him. Ignis was there, still in his sleepwear, still with his hair unstyled, still wearing Gladiolus' necklace, and the haze of sleep still lingering around him. The weirdest thing, however, was he wasn't wearing his glasses and to Prompto, that was just the most bizarre thing of all. They were a permanent fixture of Prompto's mental image of him. How could they not be when he's only seen Ignis while he was wearing them and Noctis' affectionate nickname of "Specs" for him?

"Oh, hey Ignis," he replied once his heart rate went back down to acceptable levels. "Did I wake you? Sorry, man." Ignis shook his head in reply.

"Not at all," Ignis said, and Prompto wasn't entirely sure he believed him. "Gladio's snoring seems to be particularly bad tonight and he decided to roll over and snore directly into my ear."

Prompto paused to listen, and he had to agree that yeah, Gladiolus did seem to be making a bigger racket than usual.

"Well, Noct nearly kicked me out of the bed. Think he's dreaming or something."

As if on cue, the slumbering prince let out a low grumble, as if he knew he was being talked about despite his current state of deepest sleep.

"Then perhaps we should make them share a bed next time," Ignis said, and Prompto thought that made a lot of sense. Noctis could sleep through anything, including Gladiolus' thunderstorm of snores and a few light touches and kicks from Noctis wouldn't do much to wake Gladiolus up. "But enough about that, let's see those pictures of yours." Ignis pulled up another chair to sit by Prompto and the two of them pushed the causes of their disturbed sleep out of their minds to get lost in the snapshots of the recent past.

Ignis had commentary for every single one of Prompto's photographs, from praise for his sense of composition to admiration for his ability to take clear photographs during their battles with the local wildlife, as if Prompto was able to arrange everything and everyone and pose them for a perfect picture. He used terms like "contrast" and "negative space" and Prompto actually understood them and responded in kind. And they said art classes in university were a waste.

The sun started to show itself properly once they reached the last image, its warm and gentle morning rays reaching into the suite and illuminating it with a gentle glow. The two men took a few minutes to appreciate it, to admire the fact that such a simple change in lighting could make even an old, worn motel room look beautiful in a way artificial lights could never hope to recreate.

"By the way, Prompto," Ignis said, breaking the silent reverie they had fallen into. "I believe this is the first time I've seen you wearing glasses."

At the statement, Prompto gave a bit of a nervous laugh. He never wore his glasses in public and he even rarely wore them in private. A part of him figured he always looked, well, _dorky_ while wearing them. Not that he thought glasses were dorky by default, of course. Ignis made wearing glasses look good, made it look mature, sophisticated, and even a fashion statement. Prompto was well aware that he wasn't Ignis.

"Yeah? Well, this is the first time I've seen you _without_ glasses," he countered.

"Don't be silly. We've been traveling together for days. Surely you have?"

Prompto shook his head vigorously. "Nuh-uh! You're always wearing them after you come out after the shower, and you're always the last of us to go to bed and the first to wake up. It's kinda weird. Anyway, I must look like a nerd right now, huh?"

Ignis dismissed that last statement with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense. Glasses alone don't make someone, as you put it, a nerd." And suddenly, he affixes Prompto with a very dark look, eyes narrowed and lips a thin, straight line. "Or are you saying _I'm_ a nerd?"

"Nope!" Prompto yelped, and while he knew Ignis was just playing around with him, he couldn't help but feel just a little bit scared. The man was always, like, low key intimidating at all times with the ability to manipulate his intimidation level as he pleased with worrying precision. On a scale from one to ten, the current level of intimidation was at approximately 3.14, which was plenty intimidating enough for Prompto. Anything above a 2 made him want to back off and slink around Ignis like a frightened dog. "You make it look good."

"And you don't?" Ignis asked, his face suddenly back to a friendly expression. "Prompto, trust me when I say it's a good look on you. Consider wearing them during the day when you feel like a change in pace. Wearing contact lenses all the time isn't the most comfortable thing, especially when riding in a car all day."

Prompto did agree that sometimes contacts were a chore. Having to occasionally put rewetting drops in his eyes during the day was a minor annoyance, one that grew much larger in size when he had to do it in the Regalia where the motion and the wind rushing by made the task a lot more cumbersome than it already was. But a good look? No, that couldn't be right. Ignis was just trying to be nice.

"You're not so bad without glasses yourself, Iggy," he replied. "Maybe you should consider going without them for once." Since Ignis brought up the inconveniences of wearing contact lenses, that probably meant he owned some himself.

"I'll think about it," Ignis answered, one hand reaching up to idly play with Gladiolus' necklace. Prompto saw it as a prime opportunity to change the subject.

"So, like, are you keeping that?" he asked, pointing to the necklace in question. Ignis looked surprised for a moment, apparently unaware that he was fidgeting. An unconscious habit? Up until now, Prompto figured that Ignis always did everything deliberately, as he was a man who was in complete control of himself and his life. Just not in control of the prince he was assigned to serve.

"This? Of course not. I'll be giving it back to Gladio when he wakes up. I just thought I'd like to hold onto it for a while."

Although Ignis didn't elaborate on why, Prompto knew the answer. It's because Ignis liked to rub it in when he won at games. Unlike Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto, he didn't do loud boasts or taunts. Instead, he liked to quietly flaunt his victories all while pretending to be prim and proper. He didn't fool Prompto. He knew what was up. He's seen the self-assured smirks that Ignis would give to defeated opponents. It was incredibly hilarious when it happened to Noctis or Gladiolus, but it was also incredbily infuriating when it happened to Prompto himself. Ignis had once worn the chain Prompto usually wore on his pants wrapped around his right wrist for an entire day, meaning Prompto had to see it every time he looked at him while driving and be reminded of his utter, complete, and humiliating defeat. Ignis would always make sure to reach for his can of Ebony with that very same arm whenever he did.

That was when Prompto learned that Ignis could be just plain mean when he felt like it, and he considered his decision to skip out on last night's game of cards a good one.

Prompto decided to check the time, grabbing his phone. The backlight didn't bother his eyes now that he's been awake for a while and the sun has started to rise. 6:28. Were they really talking for that long? It certainly didn't feel like two hours. That was one twelfth of the day gone by, just like that. Gladiolus would be waking up soon and they could spend their customary thirty minutes of trying to rouse Noctis from slumber. It always took at least half an hour and by now, they've learned to budget that time into their travel plans. It was both funny and kind of sad.

"We should start getting ready for the day," Ignis said, getting up from his chair. "Any preferences for breakfast?"

Prompto thought for a moment. "Let's just see what they're offering here. There's free breakfast, right?"

Indeed, there was, and Prompto greedily loaded up on fresh fruits and toast. A refreshing meal for a refreshing day. As Noctis tried, unsuccessfully, to rub sleep from his eyes, Prompto hopped into the passenger seat of the Regalia, ready to tackle the brand new day.


	2. Ignis Scientia Has Strong Opinions About Music

"That about does it," Dave said as he handed Noctis a small box. "The moment you put these on, you boys officially become hunters."

Noctis opened the box to reveal four dog tags on chain necklaces inside. They were shiny and brand new, not like the dirt covered, tarnished tag they had helped Dave recover a few days ago. He picked one up to examine it before handing one tag to each of his friends.

Ignis held his in his hand and ran his fingers over it, feeling embossed lettering on both sides even through the material of his gloves. He then held it pinched between his thumb and index finger to read the writing on one side.

_If found, return to the Meldacio hunters._

He turned it over, momentarily forced to look away as the metal caught the glare of the sun, and found his name and his hunter identification number on the other side. If, in a stroke of the worst luck possible, Ignis found himself trampled to death beneath the feet of a dualhorn in the badlands, his crushed corpse picked clean by daggerquills and what remained of his bones gnawed to dust by sabertusks, this dog tag would be the only thing left. The only thing remained of Ignis Scientia.

He decided he would take extra care to not die to a dualhorn.

Ignis undid the clasp on the necklace to put it on, then tucked the tag beneath his shirt, quietly musing that he'd have to get used to the feeling of wearing two necklaces at once. He saw Noctis and Prompto do the same. Gladiolus, on the other hand, chose to tuck his tag into a pocket on his jacket.

If Ignis was asked when was the exact moment their lives truly changed, he would say this was it.

They were not on a boat bound for Altissia. They wouldn't be on a boat bound for Altissia the next day or the day after that. There was not going to be a boat bound for Altissia anytime in the foreseeable future. Altissia may as well be a fictional fantasy world that existed only in fairy tales.

Altissia was the furthest thing from their minds as they had raced away from Galdin Quay back to Insomnia, reaching it in record time thanks to Ignis uncharacteristically breaking one or two traffic laws here and there. It was true, it was all true. Their worst fears had become reality. Insomnia had fallen. Nobody said anything as they drove away from the capital and into the unknown.

They were now fugitives in their own country, ones that committed no crime. But perhaps to the Empire, the very fact that Noctis Lucis Caelum and his companions still existed was unforgiveable, and if that made them criminals, then so be it. They would have to be captured to be tried, and while Ignis highly doubted they would be granted the dignity of a trial, if they were, hypothetically, taken to a court, he would loudly proclaim he was guilty as charged.

They met up with Cor and received their quest. It would take weeks to complete, at the very least, and that was the optimistic view. It could also take months. It could even take years. But no matter how long it took, they knew they had to do it. They had to seek out the power necessary to combat the Empire and reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

They had to do it, no matter how impossible it sounded.

But actually engaging the Empire in a full offensive was for another day. Today, they were just picking up their dog tags from Dave, the first step they were taking in their journey. It was the moment that they weren't just the prince and three of his Crownsguard. It was like Dave said, they were now also hunters; accepting the tags meant accepting a new addition to their identities, one that was required for them to survive in the new times they found themselves in.

Advisor, Crownsguard, and now hunter. Ignis would wear his new title with pride.

* * *

Driving at night was not safe and initially, Ignis refused to do it.

He changed his mind when he realized that the days were also no longer safe. Their lives were in constant danger no matter the time of day. If the current state of the kingdom wasn't enough to convince him of that fact, the press of his metal dog tag against his chest did. In some ways, being killed by daemons was prefereable to dying to the Empire. Most preferable of all, however, was not dying at all. If they had any intention of dying, they would have just surrendered and allowed themselves to be executed by the nearest squad of magitek troopers.

The road was clear of daemons, Imperials, and of beasts, and Ignis thanked whichever Astral was kind enough to grant them safe passage for the night. Above, the sky was clear and despite the night, conditions were bright from the lights of the moon and stars. If there was ever a such thing as a good night for camping, this would be it. There was nothing but trees lining the road and the humming of the Regalia's engine. For all intents and purposes, it was a lovely night. Ignis shook his head and reached for what was left of his can of Ebony (his _last_ can of Ebony), valiantly resisting the lull of highway hypnotism.

Beside him, Prompto had turned away and was resting his head on his arms over the Regalia's side. He hadn't moved in an hour, so Ignis assumed he was asleep. Gladiolus and Noctis were definitely asleep in the back. Ignis could see the former dozing in the rearview mirror and while he could also see Noctis, he knew the prince was asleep because of course he was. Not that he minded. Part of the reason Ignis drove most of the time was to allow his companions the most opportunities to rest. The other part was that he enjoyed his car trips without an ever present shadow of death looming over him.

The Regalia's clock told him it was late. 12 AM, to be precise. It would have been a good idea to pull over hours ago, but he was anxious to get them to somewhere safe in Duscae as soon as possible, anxious to get them one step closer to their ultimate goal and anxious to get them away from the chaos of their actions behind. He imagined Niflheim would not be too pleased about their blockade being smashed to bits and it wouldn't be long until the area around the blockade was crawling with Imperial forces.

Anxiety. It was something Ignis felt often, something he had learned to manage, deal with, and conceal in order to perform his job, but the past few days, it was growing in strength and becoming more difficult for him handle. Luckily, he was still getting by. This whole situation had turned the world upside down. The countryside of Lucis felt like a foreign land and there were just so many unknowns.

Ignis didn't like unknowns. He didn't like not knowing things.

He also didn't like how quiet the Regalia had become. He was too used to the chatter of his companions, the conversations he could listen to and participate in to help keep the drive from falling into dull monotony. He needed something to fill the silence, so his hand went over to the radio and he pressed the on button.

The first thing he heard was a radio report about the aforementioned smashed blockade, about how a group of "royalist rebels" had destroyed it in an act of terrorism plus a statement from the Imperial army that the perpetrators would be caught soon. The identities of these "rebels" were not revealed, but that was probably the Niflheim government's doing. It would be bad for them if word got out that Noctis, previously declared dead, was actually alive and staging attacks on their facilities with the assistance of his Crownsguard.

Ignis made a face of pure disdain and changed the station. The news was less and less pleasant by the day and he did not have the patience to be listening to it right now. One should never drive while upset. Unfortunately, the next station was also broadcasting a report, this one about how Imperial peacekeepers were working to contain the panic within Insomnia's walls.

He changed the station again, thinking there would be no panic to contain if the Empire wasn't a lot of traitorous lowlifes. At least daemons were utterly honest in their desire to kill you. Daemons do not pretend to offer peace then betray the trust you give them. How sad was it that the monstrous terrors that lurked in the night were more trustworthy than fellow humans.

The third station, blessedly, had no news and was only playing music. Ignis recognized the singer. Her name was Lenne and she was a popular artist who was well known for her upbeat, fast paced tunes that were well played on the music stations and could be heard in night clubs all over Insomnia. This particular song, however, was one of her earlier works and was of a decidedly different tone, her rendition of an old Lucian folksong about a person who wakes up alone in a dark night and the reassurance that they had the strength to make it to sunrise. A reassurance that there was no reason to fear the night.

It was a song he was familiar with, having been taught it in his childhood as a part of his studies on Lucian history and culture. He had always been fond of it. Its melody was beautiful and its words inspiring. Exactly the type of thing that the people of Lucis needed in these dire times.

It was what Ignis needed.

The song was halfway through when Ignis absently began humming along with it, harmonizing with the voice from the radio rather than trying to match it.

She went for high notes. He went for lower ones. When she held a note, he went for a triplet.

Basic music theory, really.

They had approached an intersection, and Ignis looked left to check for oncoming traffic. And then he looked to the right.

And there was Prompto watching him with wide eyes from the passenger seat as he made the turn.

"So...you like Lenne, huh?" Prompto said, not bothering to hide his smile of amusement.

Lenne sang on, finishing the song solo.

Ignis swallowed and used one hand to turn off the radio. "Lenne is a modern day songstress whose talent is dismissed by some simply because of the type of songs she sings."

"Didn't think you were the type to listen to pop music."

"I listen to all types of music," Ignis replied, sounding midly offended. Or perhaps embarrassed. He didn't know himself. "A true patron of the arts doesn't confine himself to only one or two genres."

Prompto brought a hand to his chin and tapped it thoughtfully.

"Then you've got like, a favorite jazz musician then?"

The reply was immediate: "Llednar Twem."

"Country?"

"Joanna Farrell."

Prompto frowned in deep thought, quite possibly the deepest thought Ignis had ever seen him in. "Uh...metal?"

"What kind?"

"There's different kinds of metal?"

"Yes," Ignis said with a sigh. There were different types of jazz and country as well, but he thought that Prompto would know the various subgenres of metal. Perhaps he misjudged the type of music Prompto would enjoy. "The Black Mages for industrial metal. Balamb Skyfish for power metal. Shall I go on?"

"No, I'm good," Prompto said, fiddling with his phone. Ignis couldn't see the screen, but he suspected that Prompto was looking up the names he had listed. "I hadn't even heard of those last two. I wonder what they sound like?"

"If you intend to play music on your phone, keep the volume down. You might wake Gladio," Ignis told him. He purposefully left out Noctis' name. There were times Ignis was certain that Noctis would be able to sleep through a natural disaster.

Prompto pulled out a pair of earbuds from the Regalia's glove compartment to connect to his phone. Ignis drove in silence while Prompto watched the landscape go by to an industrial metal soundtrack. Five songs later, Prompto decided that was enough of The Black Mages for one night and turned off his phone, once in a while asking Ignis for another favorite artist for another type of music. The Genome Project for electronic. L'Cie for alternative. Fenrir for grunge. For every possible style genre Prompto came up with, Ignis had an answer. Eventualy, Prompto just threw his hands up in defeat, having run out of music.

Ignis was just glad he didn't think to ask for new age music because he didn't have an answer for that one.

"Aren't you tired?" Prompto asked after another pause. "You drove a lot today."

"Thank you for asking, but I'm fine."

"You've been behind the wheel for ten hours."

"We're almost there."

Prompto made an uneasy sound, not the least bit assured that they were nearing a destination. He gave up on trying to argue with Ignis and instead looked skyward to the stars, as if pleading with them to talk some sense into Ignis. His prayers went unanswered and Ignis drove on for another twenty minutes. Twenty long minutes of Ignis knowing that Prompto was beside him, silently judging him for his stubborness.

It was somewhat unnerving.

"There" turned out to be a rest stop near Alstor Slough. It was a decent distance away from the Imperial blockade and it had everything they needed: gas, a place to stay, a diner, and a twenty four hour mart. Ignis couldn't recall the last time such bright, harsh lighting looked so welcoming. When Ignis parked the Regalia and removed the key from the ignition, Prompto, without warning, snatched the keys out of his hand.

"Mine now," Prompto said, dangling the keys in midair and giving them a good shake. "You're banned from driving tomorrow." He paused and glanced over at the Regalia's clock. 1 AM. "Or...today. Whatever." When Ignis reached to try to reclaim the keys, Prompto merely moved away. "I'll give them back to you in the afternoon. You're going to get a nice break, no ifs, ands, or buts." With that matter not open for discussion, Prompto twirled the keychain around a finger and whistled before exiting the Regalia and helping a groggy Gladious get out of the car, who still trying to adjust to the sudden change of lighting. Ignis could only shake his head and work on the task of getting Noctis out, a task that was surprisingly easy when a promise of a bed was involved.

* * *

Ignis slept until 10:00 AM.

He woke up alone in the rented caravan, none of his three friends in sight. Even Noctis was gone, and when the prince awoke before you did, then you must have been very tired indeed. And not long ago, he had given Noctis a lecture about the wonders of the world at dawn. He suspected that this would be lorded over him for the next few days, Noctis would probably bring it up whenever he wanted to win an argument or convince Ignis to do something for him.

He looked forward to it. He wanted to be teased and needled and annoyed by Noctis. Ignis wanted his insufferable prince back. He put on his glasses and got out of bed.

The weather outside was dreary. The skies were grey and it was misty outside the caravan. It must have rained that morning and if current conditions were any indication, it would probably rain again. Not a good day for travel, although Ignis had planned for the day to be a rest day. And even if he hadn't, Prompto stealing the Regalia's keys from him basically guaranteed it.

He freshened up by first splashing water on his face and fixing his appearance, running a hand through his hair to slick it back before using a comb for the finer details. Waking up late was not an excuse to look sloppy. Neither was the fact that he had spent the majority of the previous day driving. There were no excuses for looking sloppy. He put on a clean shirt, pausing slightly as he saw the dog tag hanging around his neck. He still wasn't used to it. He wasn't used to sleeping in either.

There was a lot he was going to have to get used to.

He finished buttoning the shirt.

Outside the caravan window, he could see Gladiolus and Prompto seated at the plastic chairs right by the door. They seemed to be enjoying their morning talking and briefly, Ignis wondered where Noctis had gone to before spotting the missing prince entering the mart, probably to replenish supplies. Supplies of the fishing variety, he was sure. Ignis made a mental note to ask Noctis if he bought any curatives later. Satisfied with himself, he opened the door of the caravan to exit.

"And you just took the keys from him!?" Gladious asked, incredulous. "Damn, Prompto, even I wouldn't try that. I can't believe you got away with it."

"I know, right?" Prompto laughed, holding out the keys to the Regalia for Gladiolus to see. "I was all, "mine now," and he barely put up a fight. He said he was fine, but I think he was too tired to argue."

"You should probably watch yourself though. He'll probably ambush you while you're not looking and take them back."

"I'll just run away."

"Like hell you will," Gladiolus snorted. "Iggy's one of, if not _the_ fastest member of the Crownsguard. His specialty is quick, silent attacks. By the time you realize he's there it's already too late."

Ignis didn't particularly enjoy being talked about behind his back. He enjoyed it even less when he was there to hear said talk. "You two do realize I'm right here?"

Prompto quickly drew his hand back, stuffing the Regalia's keys in his pocket. Gladiolus turned to give him a lazy smile and a wave.

"Hey. 'Bout time you woke up. I was just about to tell Prompto here about the time you were unanimously voted Best Legs in the Citadel."

"That was a childish, drunken conversation the Crownsguard had one night and is in no way official in any capacity."

Gladiolus shrugged. "They still thought so even after they sobered up."

Prompto couldn't help but interject. "Wait, Gladio, if it was unanimous, does that mean you voted for it too?"

Ignis left to get a coffee at the diner. By the time he returned with a paper coffee cup in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other, the conversation had ended. Gladiolus had gone to chat up some of the nearby people and Prompto was nowhere to be found. Very well then, it meant he could enjoy his drink and his reading in peace.

He was a fool to assume that there would be anything peaceful about reading the paper. None of the headlines were encouraging, being mostly about the Imperial occupation of Insomnia and speculation for what it all meant for the rest of the kingdom. That's what the news was like now: nothing encouraging, only dreadful stories that did nothing but brought down his mood. Ignis would stop reading the paper altogether if he didn't feel like he needed to keep up with these things.

There was the sound of metal hitting the table and he looked to the side to see the keys to the Regalia and Prompto in the seat across from him.

"It's not afternoon yet, but I guess I'll give these back to you," Prompto said. "Don't want a dagger in my back."

"You know I would never actually hurt you, yes?"

"Of course," Prompto said. "Look, to be totally honest, it was just an excuse to come talk to you. I got a question." Prompto waited for Ignis to fold up the newspaper and put it down before continuing. "So like, I decided to start listening to Balamb Skyfish this morning and next thing I knew I listened to half of their stuff and I was wondering: what do you think about Ratsbane?"

Ignis grabbed the keys off the table and they talked until Noctis returned with arms full of fishing gear and not a single curative. He sent him back to return some of his purchases, as there was no justifiable reason for him to buy _ten_ of the same lure, and use the money to buy potions instead.

"By the way, Specs," Noctis said as he gathered up the things Ignis was making him return. "They're out of Ebony."

Ignis crushed his empty coffee cup in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there was so much talking and so little happening it was weird
> 
> turns out scenes that take place primarily in a car don't lend themselves well to description
> 
> a cookie if you could identify every reference
> 
> two if you could do it without looking anything up


	3. Noctis Lucis Caelum Makes Awful Decisions

Prompto laughed and reached up to pet the pale yellow bird sitting at his side.

"Who's a good boy?"

The bird chirped and leaned into his touch before headbutting his hand, looking for more affection. Ever weak for a happy chocobo, Prompto couldn't say no as he turned and used both hands to give him liberal amounts of scritches behind the back of his head. The chocobo let out a joyful cry and stepped closer to his master, leaning down to preen Prompto's hair with his beak.

"Okay, that's enough, Icarus," he said, giving the bird one final pet on the neck. "We're being a little too noisy here."

Despite the words, nobody seemed to mind the racket. Gladiolus was curled up against the side of his scarred chocobo with a book in one hand, the other giving the chocobo rubs on the base of his neck. The red bird peered over his shoulder, as if trying to also read the words on the pages. Noctis was not-so-subtly feeding the vegetables from his dinner to his chocobo, a spoiled purple bird that happily ate whatever Noctis didn't. No amount of warnings to not feed his chocobo "people food" from both Ignis and Prompto seemed to get through to him.

Noctis put down his now empty plate and said he had a great idea: he was going to go fishing on chocobo back, ride his bird into the middle of the slough and see what he could catch.

"That's a terrible idea and I can name at least three reasons why," Ignis replied, and he proceeded to do so, but Noctis ignored him, putting the saddle on his chocobo. "Your Highness. Noct. Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of Lucis, will you at least pretend to listen to me?"

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of Lucis didn't even grant him that.

Gladiolus closed his book and put it onto the hard stone floor of the haven and gave both Ignis and Prompto a sympathetic look. "We better go with him. Don't worry, I'll haul his ass out when he falls in."

And so they went late night fishing even though three of them would have preferred turning in for the night.

Noctis didn't mind getting wet as his chocobo waded into the water, followed by Gladiolus. Ignis and Prompto stayed on shore to watch for any signs of trouble, still on chocobo back.

"Easy there," Prompto said, pulling on the reins lightly when Icarus started stomping in place. "It's okay. Nothing's wrong. Yet." He looked over to Ignis, whose dark blue chocobo was, in contrast, completely still.

They say chocobos tend to resemble their masters, and Prompto would definitely say that was true for Ignis and his chocobo. Both were well behaved and extremely capable and Prompto would swear that the two had the exact same expression on their faces. An amazing feat, considering that chocobos weren't capable of the same array of facial expressions humans were.

Ignis' chocobo let out an impatient snort and her master reached down to pet her. It didn't seem to do much to improve the bird's mood, but Prompto was pretty sure there wasn't much that _could_ be done about it.

"There, there, my dear Persephone," Ignis said, doing his best to try to soothe his chocobo. "I'd rather not be out here at this time either, but you know how Noct is."

His chocobo turned her head towards the water to look at Noctis, who was quite thoroughly enjoying himself and let out a "kweh" of disapproval. It didn't look like Noctis was going to stop anytime soon. He was having the time of his life out there.

In contrast, Prompto was bored out of his mind. King's Knight was out as Noctis forbade anyone from playing it while he was fishing and he had quickly exhausted every photo opportunity there was in the area. The only option left was to make conversation with Ignis, and he didn't consider that a bad thing at all.

He looked forward to his talks with Ignis.

"Hey Ignis," he said, walking his chocobo closer to his friend. "Wanna talk about something?"

"Certainly," Ignis replied. "As riveting this fishing expedition is, I think I'd rather spend my time enjoying your company instead."

Prompto's heart warmed at that. He always tried to be good company. "Isn't Persephone's name from some old myth or something? The one about the wife of some daemon lord?"

Ignis nodded. "I'm surprised you know that, it's one of the more obscure ones. Yes, you are correct. Persephone was the name of a princess in ancient times who was chosen to be a daemon lord's wife."

"I took a lot of humanities classes in school," Prompto explained. Not too long ago, he had considered going into a career in the arts. Graphic design or journalism or something. Funny how the course of his life changed so rapidly in such a short amount of time. Ask him a few years ago if he could see himself being a part of the elite group known as the Crownsguard and he would have laughed. Now look at him, one of the best sharpshooters in the kingdom and personal guard of the Crown Prince. He could hardly believe it himself sometimes. "I don't know the specifics though. Only her name and that she was married to a daemon. Was it an arranged marriage kind of deal?"

"More like kidnapping."

"Oh." Mythology was weird. Prompto crossed his arms and pondered the concept. Daemons didn't strike him as having any kind of hierachy. As far as he and anyone else knew, they were just these awful monsters that came out at night and did nothing but kill people. They weren't part of the ecosystem like wild beasts, they appeared, they killed, they disappeared with the sun. He couldn't imagine why one would want a wife, much less a human wife.

But this was mythology and again, mythology was weird.

"What happened to her after that?" he asked. Surely that couldn't be the end of the story.

Ignis smiled. "After accepting her fate, she embraced her role as a daemonic queen, assisting her king. She proved herself to be more fearsome and able than him and soon became the true ruler. Humans and daemons alike came to fear her far more than her husband, who was eventually known as king only in name."

Prompto smiled back. "This daemon king...he wouldn't happen to hate vegetables, would he?"

"What an odd thing to ask," Ignis remarked, very obviously feigning ignorance. "The myths don't state his eating preferences. Nor do they say if he has any hobbies such as, for a completely random example, fishing."

In the distance, Noctis let out a yell as he struggled against an unusually willful fish.

Gladiolus snickered. "Need help, Prince?"

Noctis glared at him. "No!" The momentary lapse in his concentration resulted in him being pulled forward and almost clean off his chocobo. He gave a grunt and gripped his fishing rod harder, turning it towards the fish to lessen the tension. The line strained and Noctis swore loudly.

"Stop reeling!" Gladiolus shouted.

"How about you shut up!?" Noctis snapped, letting go of the reel.

Ignis watched the scene unfold with interest. "Things are getting exciting over there." And then he immediately turned back to Prompto. "My apologies for getting distracted."

"It's cool," Prompto said. Noctis was just the kind of person who demanded attention whenever he did anything. Not only that, Ignis was duty bound to keep an eye on him. He understood.

"No, it's not," Ignis argued. "It was rude of me to not give a conversation partner as engaging as yourself my full attention."

Prompto squirmed in his seat, not sure of what he's done for Ignis to apparently think so highly of him. The praise was a little much, wasn't it? They've just been talking about normal stuff like photography, music, and mythology. Hardly worth a commendation, and certainly not one from Ignis Scientia of all people. "No need to flatter me, Iggy. I'm not that interesting. I'm like...conversational junk food. Not that great, but you just can't help but keep going back for more. Anyway, you can just say you love talking to me."

"Is that so?" Ignis asked, using one hand to tap at the side of his glasses. "Well then, I suppose I will: I enjoy the time I spend with you."

Prompto hadn't expect him to _actually_ say it. He was completely unprepared for this scenario that, when he looked back on it later, he really should have expected to happen because that was exactly the type of thing Ignis would do, whether he was serious or just joking around.

"Aww, Iggy! I like talking with you too. We should hang out more."

"Then why don't we have an outing together next time we're in civilization?" Ignis suggested. He seemed pretty excited about the idea, his expression the same look he gets on his face when he opens a new can of Ebony. "Just the two of us. When we reach Lestallum, perhaps?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Prompto grinned. He always liked having something to look forward to, and a day exploring Lestallum with Ignis sounded great. Ignis probably knew everything about the place because that was his job: knowing things. With Ignis guiding him, he'd probably be able to take some amazing pictures of the city, and he'll return the favor with whatever Ignis needed help with. "That sounds amazing! Let's definitely do that."

A scream cut through the air, followed by a splash.

"It seems that the daemon lord is in need of rescuing." Ignis commented. The two of them turned their attention back to the water where Gladiolus' chocobo dunked its head into the water and reemerged carrying a soaked Noctis by the jacket collar in his beak. "Ah, never mind. It seems Gladio has the situation under control."

Prompto was grateful. He hated getting his feet wet, even though his boots were waterproofed. It was just unpleasant, especially if water got onto his pants. It was the worst.

"Good," Prompto said. Not that he believed Noctis was in any real danger. The water wasn't very deep, no daemons were about, and the most dangerous of beasts were asleep for the night. Since his best friend was totally and completely safe, he did the only thing he could: make fun of him. "The hypercompetent queen of hell shouldn't have to use her precious time to rescue the king from himself."

They both laughed. Noctis shouted obscenities at them while still dangling from Gladiolus' chocobo.

Gladiolus reached over and flicked Noctis on the back of his head with his fingers.

"You should have listened to us," he said to the helpless prince.

"I thought I told you to shut up," Noctis growled, bearing a very strong resemblance to a drowned voretooth.

"You did. I'm under no obligation to obey you."

"I'm pretty sure you are."

"Not when you give stupid orders like that."

Gladiolus turned his chocobo around and they started back towards shore, Noctis' chocobo following behind.

"By the way, Prompto," Ignis said as they waited for their soaked companions to return.

"Yeah, Iggy?"

"Two things. First, I ask that you not tell Noct that I likened him to a daemon. He's already in a foul enough mood as is."

"Sure. What's the other?"

Ignis gave Prompto a faux disapproving look. "You shouldn't refer to Lady Lunafreya as a 'queen of hell.' It's incredibly improper."

Prompto reached over to give him a light shove. "I didn't mean her and you know it." For a moment, he thought he saw Ignis looking a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't have any time to think on it as their waterlogged companions had reached them. As the chocobos shook themselves dry, Prompto and Ignis were assaulted by a two pronged attack of water droplets and the pungent odor of wet chocobo.

Forgetting entirely about what he was thinking before, Prompto loudly complained all the way back to camp.

* * *

Aside from Prompto's extended complaining, the trip back to the camp was without incident. Noctis and Gladiolus were deposited in front of the fire to dry off and the chocobos were all curled up for the night. Ignis rummaged through his cooking supplies, muttering something about how he had just neatly put them all away before they left, and found a tea kettle, which he filled with water and put onto the camper stove.

"It would be terribly petty and immature of me to- one moment, I forgot something," he said as he waited for the water to boil. "Prompto, would you be so kind as to fetch me two cups?"

Prompto immediately set to work getting the requested items. As the one who usually set the table, he found them within seconds and brought them to Ignis, who took them and placed them onto the prep table near the burner. Prompto then gleefully sat down in one of the camper chairs to watch the impending carnage unfold.

"Thank you, Prompto. Now, as I was saying, it would be terribly petty and immature of me to say "I told you so," but..." he removed the kettle and poured the water into the cups, placing a tea bag into each of them. He gave one to Gladiolus and when he handed the other to Noctis, he leaned over to the prince's ear and lowered his voice to a whisper, albeit one loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. " _I told you so._ "

Prompto snickered, putting a hand to his mouth in an attempt to hold back his laughter. A few chortles escaped and the icy glare that was sent his way wasn't very effective when Noctis was shivering, his black hair plastered to his head.

"Hey, don't look at me Noct," Prompto said, raising his camera to snap a picture of his best friend. He couldn't pass this shot up, a soaking wet Noctis illuminated by the campfire. As artful as it was funny. He looked at the picture on the camera's screen and realized it actually was a really good shot. The opposite elements and the way the light from the fire reflected off Noctis' wet skin was amazing. Oh right, said Noctis was still glaring at him and Prompto hadn't fulfilled his "poke fun at my best friend" quota for the day. "Remember that time I said "You know what would be a _great_ idea? If you went late night fishing in the middle of the slough on your chocobo's back." Oh wait, that didn't happen. That was your idea; one hundred percent you. I'm totally blameless in this."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Noctis said, then refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the night.

Noctis was a lot less fun when he wouldn't joke or play around, so Prompto decided to leave him to stew in his own misery. But the haven was small, made smaller still by the nesting chocobos that have curled up for the night. Sleep, which sounded like a fantastic prospect hours ago, now seemed fleeting. Prompto found his slumbering chocobo and sat down to lean against his mount's soft, warm body and pulled out his phone to check his messages.

There weren't any messages. He couldn't help but wonder what that meant.

The sound of footsteps on the stone floor of the haven caught his attention and he put down his phone to see fancy, yet practical sight of Ignis' shoes. Directing his gaze upward allowed him to see Ignis' legs, then torso, then finally his face. His friend had a tired, but gentle smile on his face and a cup of steaming tea in his hand, which he holds out to Prompto while kneeling down.

"Care for some tea? There was just enough water left for one more cup."

Prompto accepted it and took a moment to appreciate it. The cup was almost hot in his hands, the heat near, but not crossing, the threshold of being painful. The smell was wonderful, a calming, floral scent that was familiar but he couldn't quite identify. Just breathing it in was enough to relax him and allow the concept of sleep to once again be a realistic prospect. Bringing it up to his lips, he blew on it softly before taking a sip. Its heat spread from his stomach up through his chest and he took a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction.

"Thanks. This is just what I need," Prompto said, then patted the ground beside him. "Hey, join me. Noct's being a baby, and it's the least I can do to pay you back for this drink."

Ignis looked as if he wanted to say something but decided against it as he took the offered seat. If Prompto had to guess what was left unsaid, he figured it would be some sort of witty rhetorical question asking when Noctis _wasn't_ acting like a baby.

"Impromptu fishing caper aside, this is a lovely night," Ignis said, although he didn't seem to be paying much attention to their surroundings at all, only Prompto.

Prompto took another sip of his tea and leaned back further into his chocobo, who remained asleep. Ignis was right. It was a beautiful night. Not too hot, not too cold, and not a cloud in the sky. In conditions like this, he could almost see why Gladiolus seemed to enjoy camping so much. He would still, however, prefer to enjoy it from the comforts of civilization. There was nothing saying you couldn't admire nature from afar, where bug bites were less of a concern and he didn't have to worry about waking up with a hurting back.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Being out here, just the four of us, it almost feels like there's nothing wrong with the universe." While they're driving down a winding road or hiking through the wilderness, Prompto could forget, for just a short while, that the world as he knew it was on the brink of collapse.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same," Ignis replied quietly, and Prompto wasn't surprised at all. Ignis worried because that was how the guy was. He did remembered, planned, and fretted so the others wouldn't have to. "Not to say I don't find the opportunities to appreciate our little unplanned cross country road trip."

"Hey, it's just all the more reason we gotta have fun when we hit Lestallum," Prompto said, giving Ignis a nudge with his elbow. "One day of no worries will do you wonders." He put his free hand to his mouth and cleared his throat before placing it over his heart in a bizarre salute. In recorded history, there was no record of someone trying to salute with a half finished cup of tea in their hand. "I swear on my honor as a Crownsguard to make sure you have a great day. There, I made an oath, so don't you dare leave me hanging."

Ignis chuckled as Prompto chugged the rest of his drink, a decision the latter mildly regretted immediately after the fact. "I wouldn't dream of it." They sat in silence for a while after that, feeling rhythmic breathing of the chocobo behind them, watching Noctis and Gladiolus poke at the campfire with sticks as they continued to dry, and noticing the beautiful, ethereal color of the glowing runes that granted them safety. At some point, Prompto got up to wash and put away his empty cup.

"You know, we gotta stop doing this staying up late talking thing," he remarked. "Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun, but it's kind of murder on my sleep schedule here."

"I think the numerous naps you take in the Regalia have more to do with that than our chats," Ignis replied, dryly.

"And you sleeping like, five hours a day isn't doing you any favors!"

"I slept nine hours the other day," Ignis protested weakly.

"Only because I made you! If it weren't for me, you would have been up at 6 AM," Prompto pouted. No wonder the man drank so much Ebony. Human beings weren't designed to do all the stuff Ignis does on a daily basis for an extended amount of time. The fact that he hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet was nothing short of a miracle. "Come on, let's go to sleep. Noct and Gladio are still drying off, so we'll get the tent to ourselves."

Prompto urged Ignis to his feet and led the way to the tent. As he did, he turned around to give Ignis one last smile before disappearing through the flap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a day early due to me being busy over this weekend. Apologies for any and all mistakes.
> 
> If you're curious about Noct and Gladio's chocobos, they are named Helios and Agrippa respectively.


	4. Gladiolus Amicitia Is Told Unhelpful Things

A few days later, they arrived in Lestallum.

Lestallum was a unique entity. It was larger and livelier than the scattered small towns and settlements they've driven through. It lacked the exotic luxury of Galdin Quay. It didn't have the wild ruggedness of the chocobo ranch. And while it was by no means small, it was but a speck on the map compared to the massiveness that was Insomnia.

Ignis had been there a few times on official business when he was younger, often as a representative of Noctis, but it's been years since he last visited the place. Yet, it was nearly identical to his memories. Lestallum was a strange place that blended history with modern day living. Its architecture was reminiscent of a previous era, but all the buildings were kept up to date with the current advances of technology and society. On the outside, everything looked like they were from a history book. On the inside, you could find state of the art kitchens, luxury bathrooms, and centralized climate control. The city was filled with tiered levels and winding roads and narrow alleys that seemed to have no rhyme or reason to them, making it easy to get lost. Newer buildings, such as the EXINERIS power plant, were made with more recent aesthetics, making new constructions stand out. Yet, somehow, they seemed like they belonged. Like they were always there.

Lestallum was truly a strange, yet wonderous place.

The first thing they did was meet up with Gladiolus' younger sister, Iris. She greeted all of them warmly, with lots of cheerful words and lingering hugs. Her grip on Ignis was almost crushing, typical of the Amicitia bloodline. Sometimes they didn't know their own strength. But Ignis said nothing, because he found a deep comfort in it. The feeling of her overpowering affection brought back memories of happier times, especially when he realized that she was the first familiar face they had seen in weeks. They hadn't seen any close friends since they parted ways with Cor and Monica after the assault on the Imperial blockade, his last memories of them being Cor slicing through Imperial forces and Monica leaving a trail of magitek troopers in her wake.

Ignis allowed Iris to squeeze him as tightly as she wanted for as long as she wanted. When she finally let him go, he was left with a jumble of emotions that he never could fully sort out. Relief at her safety, happiness at seeing her again, a sense of loss when she let him go, and a powerful desire to just remain close to the people that, if he were to be honest, he had bonded with much more strongly ever since they left the capital city. He didn't know whether this volatile cocktail of varied and conflicting feelings was good or bad or if he wanted to toss it away or hold onto it and never let go. Regardless of his wishes, it passed as quickly as it came.

They dropped their things off at the Leville hotel and made a democratic decision to spend a few days in Lestallum to refresh both their supplies and their minds. They had spent so much time constantly moving, it would be nice to just stay put in one place for more than half a day. The first day they just spent in their hotel room, too exhausted to do anything more than lounge around and chat with Iris, the Amicita butler, Jared Hester, and Jared's grandson, Talcott. They traded stories about what they were all doing the past few weeks. Iris, Jared, and Talcott talked about their escape from Insomnia and Noctis told them about them rushing back to Insomnia to confirm what they already knew.

They moved on to happier topics after that.

The next day, they left Noctis to sleep in and Iris to wait for him to wake up. Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus went out with Jared to take a quick walk around the city while waiting for the prince to awaken. Even in the early morning, Lestallum was warm and humid, and it was only going to get worse as the day continued. When Ignis expressed concerns for Jared's health, the steward waved them off, saying a little bit of heat never slowed him down.

"Don't worry, Iggy. Jared's one of the toughest guys I know. It'll take a lot more than just some warm weather to take him down," Gladiolus added, and Ignis was inclined to believe him. When Gladiolus, someone who was basically a man sculpted from concrete given life by some unseen supernatural force, said someone was tough, that meant they must be _quite_ tough.

He supposed it made sense. The Amicitias would only employ those who could keep up with them.

Unlike Insomnia, Lestallum was fairly quiet in the early morning. Stall vendors were busy setting up their stands and arranging their goods for display. Shop owners unlocked and opened their security shutters and café owners put out signs advertising the daily specials. By the time they make it back to the Leville, women started to fill the streets, kissing their husbands goodbye as they prepared for a day of hard labor. Some of the men went back into their homes, others also left to run the daily errands or bring their children to school.

By the time they return later in the morning, Iris was gone, meaning that Noctis had woken up and that she had probably succeeded in roping him into their own morning excursion.

"Gladio," Ignis said. "Prompto and I are going out on our own. Please keep an eye on Noct when he returns."

"How long are you guys gonna be gone?" Gladiolus asked, but by then, Ignis and Prompto were already out of hearing range.

* * *

The first stop was, naturally, the famed Lestallum market. It was right by the Leville and the best time to go was in the morning before all of the best ingredients of the daily shipments were snatched up by other shoppers. Ignis worried that he was taking too much time meticulously examining the available goods to pick out the best specimens, but not only did Prompto not mind, he was fascinated by it and everything else the market had to offer. He asked many questions and Ignis was happy to answer them.

"How do you make everything taste so good?" Prompto eventually asked.

"Seasoning, mainly," Ignis replied. "It's not the only method and not everything can be seasoned, but a little bit of spice can go a long way."

"Huh. No wonder everything I cook tastes bland."

"If you feel up to it, I can show you the basics of proper seasoning later."

The market continued to hold Prompto's attention and it seemed like he couldn't get enough. Ignis watched him flit from stall to stall like a hummingbird examining the goods they all had to offer. Craft jams amazed him. Huge baskets full of spices caught his attention and more than once Ignis had to pull Prompto back to prevent him from just sticking his hand in them out of curiosity. Prompto chatted up vendors and happily tried any samples they offered him. It was as if he had never been to a outdoor market before.

Then Ignis realized that Prompto probably _hadn't_ been to an outdoor market ever in his life. Suddenly, his friend going about the place as if it were an amusement park made a lot more sense. Ignis could faintly remember his first time at a place like this. It had nearly overwhelmed him with its sheer size, selection, and energy. The same must have been happening to Prompto, but instead of being drained by it, it energized him. The sights, sounds, and smells of the place thoroughly excited him.

Along with the fact that Ignis had nearly gotten into a fist fight with other customers over who got the best ingredients no less than three times.

"Did you get any pictures of that?" Ignis asked as they left the market and headed back to the Leville to drop off their groceries. It was a pointless question as he already knew the answer.

"Of course I did," Prompto answered.

"Are you going to show them to the others?" Pointless question number two.

"Absolutely. You totally almost decked that last guy. For a second there, I thought you were going to pull a dagger on him." He shoved his camera into Ignis' face, and Ignis could see a photograph of himself arguing with a man over a bag of duscaean oranges.

He was already dreading what Noctis and Gladio would say when they saw it.

"Yes, well, I didn't want to cause an even bigger scene than I already was. I try not to be in the habit of criminally threatening civilians."

"You don't need to, you're scary enough as is. Your intimidation level there was like, at least a 5."

"I will choose to see that as a compliment."

They made it to the Leville and up the stairs and when they reached their room, Ignis fumbled with the key for a moment before managing to unlock it. Inside, they found Gladiolus sitting on the room's couch reading one of his books and Noctis asleep on one of the beds.

"Hey Gladio," Prompto said as he and Ignis walked straight past him and into the kitchenette.

"Hey yourself," Gladio answered, putting down his book to look at them and raising an eyebrow at the sheer number of things they were carrying. "Is that all just food? How much did you two buy?"

"About enough to last us two weeks," Ignis answered as he and Prompto began pulling things out of bags and storing them putting things in the small refrigerator and onto the counter. Already, he was planning their next meals. "Now is the perfect opportunity to restock. We'll be on the road again soon." Once everything was put away, Ignis and Prompto shed their jackets. Midday was approaching, and that was when the Lestallum weather was going to try its hardest to inflict heatstroke onto anyone who dared to set foot outdoors. "We're going out again," he said as they walked past Gladiolus for the second time.

Gladiolus frowned and dropped his book onto the couch and stood up. "Now, wait a minute, at least tell me when-"

"Bye, Gladio," Prompto said with a wave as he shut the room door.

With a groan, Gladiolus pulled his phone out of his pocket while wondering what he did to deserve having to babysit a near comatose prince alone for the whole day.

* * *

Ignis wasn't sure how Prompto got the idea that he knew how to navigate Lestallum into his head, but the gentle correction that he didn't have the requisite knowledge to be a tour guide didn't seem to dampen his spirits one bit.

"That might actually be better," Prompto mused as they sat at the fountain right outside the Leville. "It means we can just go wherever we want whenever we want."

"By that, do you mean wander around aimlessly?"

"Exactly."

Ignis' phone buzzed. He could tell immediately from the sound and the vibration pattern who the sender was, for he had a unique combination for each important person in his contact list. Since it was a text message from Gladiolus, he took it out to look, just in case the man needed something.

> **Gladiolus:** When r u guys coming back? 
> 
> **Ignis:** I don't know.
> 
> **Gladiolus:** What do u mean you don't know? 
> 
> **Ignis:** We're exploring the city, we probably won't be back until late afternoon at the earliest. 
> 
> **Gladiolus:** What am i supposed to do then? 
> 
> **Ignis:** Spend time with Noct? Invite your sister to the room and spend time with her? Use a little bit of critical thinking, Gladio. 
> 
> **Gladiolus:** Don't stay out too late 

"Who was that?" Prompto asked.

"Gladio. He just wanted to know when we would be returning."

"Eh. Whenever. Let's get lunch."

The café they chose offered outdoor seating in the shade, so Ignis and Prompto sat for an hour, ordering food and drinks to enjoy at a leisurely pace while talking and people watching.

"Did you have a chance to listen to that song I sent you?"

"The one by Warriors of Darkness? Yes, it was very good. Thank you for sending it, Prompto."

Once they've had their fill, the exploration of Lestallum could truly begin. They started with the obvious locations first: the main square, the central road, and the overlook. Even though he had taken pictures of them when they first arrived in Lestallum, Prompto was eager to snap more, saying that things looked "totally different" at this time of day. Ignis watched as he took pictures of the buildings, the people, and the landmarks of the city, snapping a picture and quickly moving on, as if he didn't want to disturb the scene he had just captured with his camera. Keeping up with Prompto would be a difficult task for most people, but Ignis was not an ordinary person, although it was a real test of his reflexes to grab Prompto when he had the ill conceived idea of hopping onto the edge of the overlook to try to snap a picture of the landscape.

They stopped to watch every street performer they ran across and they browsed the wares of a large number of shops, but found nothing to buy as most of what was being sold was trinkets and souvenirs. They took breaks where they could, mainly anywhere that was open to the public and had air conditioning. Prompto bought them each bottles of water and Ignis had never been so thankful for one of those things in his life.

The main areas soon lost their appeal and next thing Ignis knew, Prompto was heading down one of the smaller side streets, where things were suddenly much quieter and it became easier to hear himself think.

"This is so cool," Prompto said, turning his camera upwards to capture the upper parts of the buildings. "You don't see anything like this in Insomnia."

Indeed, it wasn't. Insomnia was a place that buzzed with activity and life no matter area of it you visited or what time of day it was. In contrast, this street was almost silent, save for the occasional sound when a door was opened or the footsteps of a single person walking by them.

"This is a residential street," Ignis explained. "It's away from the tourist areas we've been mostly staying around and it's a side of the city that out of towners like us usually don't come to see."

"It's amazing," Prompto said, looking around and trying to capture as much of it as possible in photographs.

"You don't find it dull?" Ignis asked, curious.

"Why would I?" Prompto answered, a look of confusion on his face. Ignis didn't know if it was the question that was the cause or him trying to explain himself in words. "The touristy areas are great and all, but this is...I don't know. It feels different. It's a part of Lestallum that most of the people who come to visit it don't see, but for the people who live here it's part of their everyday lives."

They walked on. A man stopped and asked if they were lost, but Prompto shook his head. A few minutes of silence followed, the only real sounds being the soft clicks of the shutter on Prompto's camera.

"When I take pictures," he said, continuing where he had left off. "I don't want to cherry pick. I don't want to just get the "good side" or just part of something. I want to get the whole thing. Capture something as it truly is."

They rounded a corner. Prompto paused to take a picture of a stray dog trying to beat the heat in the shade of the buildings.

"I don't just want to see Lestallum. I want to understand it and put that in my pictures."

Ignis, having been silently listening the whole time, thought he understood. Prompto wasn't interested in taking pictures of pretty things or trying to evoke some vague notion of art in his photographs. He wanted simply to record the world as it was, good and bad, and let it speak for itself. His only inputs were his abilities in framing and taking clear, steady shots. It explained his preference for candid photos, only rarely requesting a posed photograph when it came to special occasions. That was why Prompto's pictures had some sort of special quality to them that Ignis was never quite able to place. That was why his photographs were usually so full of energy and _life_. That was why they had that sense of movement that made it seem like they'd come to life even though they were nothing but still images.

Well, at least that's what Ignis _thought_ all this was. It was entirely possible, and probably highly likely, that he had given this far more thought than Prompto ever did.

Although that didn't make any of his observations any less true.

They spent another hour going whichever direction Prompto felt like at any given moment. There was no destination in mind or pattern to his choices, he would simply look down the available paths and choose whichever grabbed his attention the most.

"Prompto," Ignis finally said. "Are we lost?"

Prompto paused to look around their surroundings. They were still in the narrow side streets and alleys, surrounded by tall buildings where the people of Lestallum made their homes. Finally, he looked back to Ignis with a huge grin on his face.

"Yep, we're lost," he finally said.

"I see. Just making sure," Ignis said while looking down one fork in the road.

"Let's go this way," Prompto said, grabbing Ignis' wrist to drag him along the other path.

"There's..." Ignis stumbled over his words, simutaneously surprised by the action and thinking he must look quite undignified at the moment. "There's no need to rush."

The knowledge that they had no idea where they were was oddly liberating for Ignis, who eventually stopped worrying about which way Prompto was leading him. In the distance, over the tops of the buildings, he could see the power plant, which would make a useful reference for whenever they did want to find their way back to familiar territory. But until then, they had chosen to walk the winding paths of Lestallum, up and down countless flights of stairs. It would be quite the workout for the ordinary tourist, but it hardly registered to two trained members of the Crownsguard who had spent the last couple weeks (month?) trekking through terrain of all kinds for hours.

The random path taking eventually led to an open square, one neither of them had seen before. A large fountain sat in the middle of it, but it wasn't the main attraction. On the other side of the square was a large, ornate building, one that had heavy wooden doors and beautiful figures carved into its sides.

"I believe it's a place of worship," Ignis said. "For the Astrals."

Religion was not something that was very strong in the world. In older times, the Astrals were highly venerated, treated with the utmost respect and awe. But both gods and humanity drifted apart from each other, and Astral worship became more of just a casual affair that weaved its way into the cultures of Eos. It still survived, but the number of people who took it as a faith had dwindled greatly in the past couple hundred years.

The church was open, and after a brief hesitation, the two of them went inside to marvel at its interior. Sculptures, paintings, and other expertly crafted pieces of art and furniture decorated the inside. A lone cleric greeted them and took them on a tour of the place, explaining the significance and history behind everything. In modern times, places of worship like these saw the most traffic as places of cultural and historical value. When it was over, the two of them sat in the pews to take in the atmosphere and perhaps try to understand just a little bit better what it's like for the few who still remain adherent in the old religious teachings.

"Do you have a favorite Astral?" Prompto asked quietly as they admired a stained glass window depicting the Six.

"I've always been partial to Leviathan," Ignis replied.

"I like Shiva," Prompto said. "She seems nice."

* * *

"Where the _hell_ are those two assholes?" Gladiolus grumbled.

Noctis shrugged and pointed to his Shield's plate of leftovers from the previous night's meal. "If you don't want that I'll eat it."

Gladiolus snatched up his food to shovel it into his mouth with impressive amounts of irritation radiating off his body even though the subjects of his ire weren't present.

Noctis fiddled with his phone, impassive.

* * *

When they left the church, the sun had nearly completely set. Ignis checked the time on his phone. Just about time for dinner. But with no idea how far away they were from the Leville, it seemed more practical to find a place to eat where they were than find their way back to the hotel. The place they chose was small, a humble location that saw a modest amount of business. Unlike the restaurants that lined the tourist areas, it wasn't packed with patrons nor was it overly noisy. They ordered their food and when it came out, they both agreed it was the best food they've eaten yet in Lestallum.

"I feel like a local," Prompto said as he finished another bite of his vegetable dish. "It's like this place is a secret that only the people who live here know about. And we're in on it."

"Indeed," Ignis agreed, putting down his cup of freshly served coffee. His second one of the meal. "And we saw so much of the city."

"How are we going to find our way back to the Leville?"

"That's what the navigation apps on our phones are for."

Prompto's phone beeped, and he checked it.

"Sorry, message from Noct," he explained as he unlocked it to read a text message from his best friend. "Says Gladio's mad at us for disappearing on him."

"Gladio will survive," Ignis scoffed, then sighed. "If he's still angry when we return, I'll deal with him."

They both let the subject of Gladiolus drop and returned to their meals. Ignis' thoughts drifted to the day as a whole and how spending spending it under Prompto's guidance provided him with something he would have never experienced on his own. And in the process, he learned a little bit of the philosophy of Prompto Argentum.

"Something wrong, Iggy? You're spacing out there."

Ignis nearly dropped the fork in his hand as his eyes refocused on the sight in front of him, which was Prompto watching him with a mix of curiosity and concern. The dim yellow lighting of the tiny restaurant was doing favors for his friend's appearance, providing a soft, flattering light and making Prompto's blue eyes stand out-

 _Oh, godsdammit,_ Ignis thought. "I'm fine, thank you. I was just thinking about today." Which was not a lie. "It was very enjoyable. I'd say you upheld that oath you made the other day."

Prompto laughed, albeit a bit nervously. "Quit embarrassing me, Iggy."

The temperature of Lestallum dropped quite a bit at night, although it was still warm enough to be slightly uncomfortable and the humiditiy was still a mild form of torture. Ignis didn't know how the women of Lestallum could stand to work in those heavy suits of theirs and he found himself with a newfound respect of them.

The walk back to the hotel was surprisingly short. Apparently, when one knew where they were going, getting from one place to another was a simple affair that didn't take hours of meandering through countless streets.

"Today was great," Prompto said as Ignis found the key to their room. "It wouldn't be half as fun as it was if you weren't there, Ignis. Let's do something like this again sometime."

Ignis paused, room key still in his hand as he looked briefly at Prompto, who returned his gaze with warmth. Collecting himself, he unlocked the door. "Yes, let's."

The first thing to greet them was Gladiolus, directly in the doorway. "Look who's finally back." Their friend was definitely displeased with them. "When you guys said you were going out, I didn't think you meant the whole damn day. What did you guys even do out there?"

Ignis brushed right past him, gently pushing him aside with one hand. Prompto followed right after him. Ignis turned around to give Gladiolus a contented smile.

"We got lost."


	5. Titan Makes Everything Difficult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, yes, this is your local Brightwing. I just want to say that I am very thrilled by the response this fanfiction has received and how welcoming this fandom has been to me. You are all the best.

The time had come to leave Lestallum, much to everyone's great reluctance. They stayed there for five days, but it felt like far less. But with the Empire breathing down their necks and Talcott's hot tip about the possible location of another Royal Arm, they ran out of excuses to stay, filled up the Regalia's gas tank, and pulled out of the city, headed westward.

Prompto cheered himself up by snapping pictures of the landscape as it drifted by. He wasn't done chronicling Lestallum yet, but at least he had the reassurance that they'd return there once they investigated the waterfall they were told about. The city was to be a sort of base of operations for them, a place they could return to in order to regroup with their allies and take a break. He turned in his seat, resting on his knees to look in the back, seeing Gladio absorbed in the new book he had bought and Noctis awake (for once) and looking bored. He chatted with his best friend, while Ignis chided him, telling him to sit properly in his seat. He did, but still turned around to keep the conversation flowing.

Speaking of Ignis, Prompto was glad for his newfound deepend friendship with him. Out of his three traveling companions, Ignis was the one he felt the furthest from when they first pulled out of Insomnia. He would be the first to admit that Ignis was kind of frightening, in many different ways, but once he got past that, Prompto found him to be a pretty cool guy. A _really_ cool guy, even. Or maybe just a guy. Whatever he was, Prompto was glad that Ignis was just a person who he could connect to and shoot the breeze with. This extended roadtrip would be a lot harder to endure if he spent half his time being afraid of someone in their little foursome.

When Talcott told them there was a cave behind a waterfall, he neglected to mention that it was _completely encased in ice_. It was dark and it was cold and every five steps, someone was slipping on the ice. Prompto shivered and rubbed his arms, but he could tell he was faring better than his friends. He moved the quickest throughout the grotto and he slipped the least, and fighting daemons in the place was a lot easier when you could stand still and shoot instead of having to run up to get up close and personal with them, even if sliding around due to recoil got a little annoying.

Noctis cursed as he lost his footing and fell down the same ice slope for the third time and Ignis didn't raise any objections at his moodiness probably because he too, was getting really frustrated with trying to move around in the place. They were moving far too slowly and Prompto was starting to worry that they'd catch cold - or worse - by the time they found the Royal Tomb that may or may not be in the cave.

In a rare show of initiative, Prompto took the lead, guiding his friends and telling them to follow _exactly_ where he did. The pace picked up considerably after that. After a harrowing shimmy across a narrow, slippery ledge, Prompto spent a good five minutes trying to convince his companions to follow, which they eventually did. They were nearing the end. Prompto knew it.

Ignis slipped, the first to fall in a while. Prompto knelt down to help him up.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Yes, I'm fine. The sooner we finish, the better. I don't enjoy constantly losing my footing."

"Hey, at least you make falling look good."

"Enjoy it while you can. It won't be a regular occurance."

They were interrupted by a wave of daemons that crawled out of the cold, icy shadows. Prompto threw a grenade of Fira magic and instead of scrambling to get as far away from it as possible as usual, Noctis and Gladiolus edged closer to the blast zone.

Noctis was a little too close and after the battle, nobody was allowed to bring up his singed hair tips.

* * *

The moment they left the grotto, new Royal Arm added to the Armiger, Noctis nearly passed out from a migraine. Plans to stay at a nearby rest stop were hastily changed and Ignis drove through the night to get back to Lestallum. Any daemons who chose the make the unfortunate decision to block the road were quickly dispatched by Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto while Noctis suffered in the back seat of the Regalia.

"Get some rest," Gladiolus said, using one hand to rub Noctis' shoulder.

"Can't," Noctis whined, curled up miserably, rubbing his forehead with a hand in a futile attempt to find some relief. "Hurts too much."

Gladiolus shot a concerned look to the front of the car, which Prompto saw in the rearview mirror. He didn't have to say anything. All of them were thinking it. Noctis couldn't sleep. Something was seriously wrong. Prompto shifted nervously in his seat and Gladiolus allowed himself to be used as a pillow.

Prompto noticed Ignis' grip the steering wheel had gotten just a little bit tighter.

The best doctors in Lestallum didn't have an explanation for Noctis' migraines and were only able to give him some medication to lessen the pain.

"Not surprised," Noctis was able to mutter once they were back in the Leville, lying on a bed with one arm covering his eyes to shield them from the lights that were doing him exactly zero favors. "Titan. It's Titan. Now will somebody _please_ turn off the lights?"

The rest of the night was spent in relative darkness, with only the soft light of nightstand lamps and cellphone backlights to give illumination and voices kept low.

Sleep didn't come well to anyone and the most anyone was able to achieve was a couple hours in short bursts. Noctis suffered silently while the other three kept themselves awake with worry. The frequent earthquakes that rocked the region did not help either. The one sole silver lining of the situation was that, if at least Noctis needed anything, someone would be there to take care of him.

Prompto woke up and a glance at the clock told him he had only slept for an hour. Immediately, he checked on Noctis and found his friend in a moment that seemed like peaceful sleep. He was relieved, and he would happily give up his own rest if it meant Noctis could get his. Satisfied, his eyes skimmed the room to find Gladiolus missing and Ignis in a chair staring out the window. Prompto joined him.

"Hey, Ignis," he said with a yawn. "Where's Gladio?"

"Out," came the answer. "He said he couldn't sleep and left to take a walk. You know how he is."

Prompto did know. Whenever Gladiolus ran into something he couldn't deal with, he had to storm off for a while. It didn't matter what the big guy was feeling: anger, sadness, confusion, he always stomped away in a huff and didn't come back until he felt like it. Sometimes it took just an hour. Other times it took days. The record so far was a week.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, changing the subject. Ignis turned away to from the window to look Prompto in the eyes and chuckled.

"Poorly," was the unneeded reply. Ignis looked awful with some of his hair out of place, his glasses low on his face, and very clearly beyond what Prompto would call exhausted. Prompto imagined he didn't look very pretty either.

"You should get some sleep," Prompto suggested, and already he was playing out the next few seconds in his head. "Noct's gonna be fine. We're going to fix everything tomorrow."

"I've tried," Ignis replied. "I think it's easier if I just stay awake tonight."

Prompto leaned back in his head and made a sound that was something like a combination of a growl and a sigh. "Do we have to have the sleep talk again, Iggy? Because I don't want to have the sleep talk again. I know it's hypocritical of me to say this when I'm being kept up too, but I'm not the one who's been running on a sleep deficit for weeks."

Ignis was silent, and Prompto couldn't tell if it was because he had no response or if he just didn't have the energy or will to argue.

"So try again, Ignis. Even if it's just for thirty minutes or whatever, it's better than nothing." Prompto reached out to put a hand on Ignis' shoulder. "I"m worried about you. Really, actually worried."

"You should be worried about Noct," Ignis said quietly.

"And I am! But that doesn't mean I can't worry about you too. C'mon. Try again. For me?" Prompto pulled Ignis to his feet and all but pushed the man to the other bed. "Need me to tuck you in?"

"Please don't," Ignis groaned as he lay on the bed, removed his glasses, and closed his eyes. "I don't know why I let you push me around like this."

"Because I'm special," Prompto said, patting him on the head.

"I suppose you are," Ignis mused.

Prompto flopped beside him in the bed and reached over to the night stand where he left his phone to charge. He played on it idly, rapidly changing between various apps until Gladiolus returned from his cool off walk.

* * *

Nobody was feeling well when they shuffled out of the Leville the next morning, and they knew they had to do something about this before Noctis' head exploded. Lestallum usually had two types of weather: bright skies and absurdly sunny days or miserablely overcast and raining cats and dogs. That day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun enveloped everything in its rays.

All four of them hated that.

The day immediately got worse when they made their way to the overlook to try to get a better view of the Disc of Cauthess. A familiar face was there, the "inconsequential stranger" they had met at Galdin Quay who introduced himself as Ardyn and offered to take them to the disc, which was under Imperial lockdown.

Despite the fact that none of them liked him (in Prompto's opinion, Ignis seemed to loathe him the most), they accepted for they had no other way in. After the stunt they pulled in Leide, it was unlikely the Empire was going to let any more of their blockades be felled so easily and this time there would be no Cor or Monica to back them up.

Ardyn made Noctis drive, even knowing his condition, and that just made the group dislike him even more.

When the blockade door opened for Ardyn, like a man opening the front door to his own home, a blast of hot air assaulted the Regalia, something none of them were truly prepared for. It was hot. Hotter than Lestallum, and Prompto could feel his eyes drying up. The drive down the dirt road didn't help things at all and Ignis muttered something about having to take her in for a wash after this. Upon reaching the end of the road, Prompto took a minute to apply some sorely needed rewetting drops into his eyes before hopping out.

Five minutes later, everything immediately went to hell.

They should have been suspicious when they saw the royal sarcophagus out in the open like that. Royal Tombs were supposed to be that: tombs. An open air sarcophagus surrounded by what was clearly crumbled terrain should have been their first clue that things weren't going to go smoothly. What remained of the floor crumbled right under Noctis' feet as soon as he claimed the Royal Arm and Gladiolus jumped down after him to prevent him from meeting a bloody end splattered against Titan's crater.

Prompto wanted to follow, but the cliff was steep, the drop far, and neither Noctis nor Gladiolus wanted the two of them to follow. One look at Ignis told him that he also wanted to follow, the way his friend stared downwards into the crater and how tense his body looked made it seem like he was going to ignore sense and leap down himself.

"Ignis?" Prompto asked, reaching out to touch Ignis' arm. His mind was going a million miles a minute. He needed someone to ground him. He needed instructions. He needed Ignis to tell him what they were going to do, in that Ignis way of his. Because Ignis always knew what to do. Ignis was always right. All he needed to do was trust Ignis and they'd get through this just fine. "Hey. Ignis. What should we do?"

Ignis didn't reply and kept staring downward.

"Ignis?" Prompto gave Ignis' arm a squeeze and Ignis jumped backwards, as if he were freed from a trance.

"Remember your training. You are a Crownsguard and you need to act like it," Ignis muttered, just barely loud enough for Prompto to hear, but he sounded distant and Prompto wondered if Ignis was answering his near desperate pleas for direction or if it was something else. "Noct is fine for now. Gladio will protect him." Ignis inhaled deeply, which Prompto figured must not be very comfortable with how _hot_ the air was, and exhaled through his mouth. When he spoke again, he turned to Prompto and spoke louder to be better heard above the commotion the Archaean was making. "We...we do what we said we would and find a way around."

They moved together, helping each other over ridges and down ledges, hoping that the route they were taking would reunite them with Noctis and Gladiolus. They easily dispatched the wildlife that got in their way, and Prompto felt slightly bad about it, for they were just panicked and disturbed because of the temper tantrum Titan was suddenly deciding to throw.

The sound of magitek engines above them made them both groan. Of course they knew the Empire was here, but they were hoping there wouldn't be an attack force deployed to the area, but with Titan suddenly acting violently, there was no way the Empire wasn't going to respond. Ignis pulled out his phone to try to call Noctis and managed to relay a warning to him before the call got dropped. Prompto surveyed the situation. There were dropships. A _lot_ of dropships. But if there was one small stroke of luck, it seemed like the Imperial forces were focused almost solely on Titan.

The bad news was they were focused on Titan. They didn't come to the Archaean to kill him, even if Titan seemed to be set on making this a battle. Neither Prompto nor Ignis knew if you could kill an Astral, and if it could be done simply by shooting it with weapons, but they didn't want to take that chance. Not only that, the Imperial forces were directly in their way and even if their mission was to combat Titan, there was no doubt that they would train those weapons on them if they were spotted.

"We'll have to move quickly," Ignis said. "We want to draw as little attention as possible, but getting through there without being seen is nearly impossible." And Prompto already knew he was right. There was nowhere to hide and giving the enemy a wide berth was simply not an option.

"You want me to snipe?" Prompto asked. Ignis shook his head.

"Your marksmanship is impeccable, but sniping with a handgun is just not practical for anyone regardless of skill level."

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd say no."

"We have to cut right through them."

"That's not something you'd usually suggest."

"It's not," Ignis agreed. "But this is an emergency, and we will still use stealth whenever possible." Ignis summoned his daggers and pressed one into Prompto's hand. "Take this. We'll be doing a lot of close quarters combat so you'll need a melee weapon and your machinery, while powerful, is a bit slow and cumbersome."

Prompto clutched the dagger's handle tightly. Daggers were not his specialty, but he was more than capable of using one. While every member of the Crownsguard had their preferences, it was a requirement for each and every member to maintain a high level of competency and proficiency with a wide variety of weapons. He then summoned one of his handguns and mimicked Ignis, pressing the grip of the gun into his hand and gently closed his friend's fingers around it.

"Then you take this. We don't have Noct or Gladio, so having a ranged option isn't a bad idea."

Ignis looked surprised briefly, then smiled. "You're quite right."

They took position on a high ridge that allowed them to see the entire area and discussed the route that they were going to take. Which magitek troopers they would eliminate and which they would ignore and run right past. It was a short, five minute discussion, but to Prompto, it felt like hours.

"Are you ready?" Ignis asked, and Prompto nodded in acknowledgement. "Good. And Prompto?"

"Yeah?"

"Please stay safe. If you have to retreat to safety, do it. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

Prompto swallowed. There was a powerful weight behind Ignis' words that was impossible to miss.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a Crownsguard, no MT's gonna get the better of me," he looked back down at the Imperial troops, his body brimming with anticipation of what they were about to do. "You stay safe too. We need you. No, that's not it. We want you with us. Well, okay, I can't really speak for Noct or Gladio, but at least I do."

They both lingered a moment longer than necessary, then took up their position and on Ignis' signal, they jumped and charged downhill towards the Imperial forces. Prompto began by spending all of his bullets unloading a volley of opening shots, deftly taking out some of the nearest troopers in the back. The sound of his gunshots, which would normally be one of the least stealthy things in battle, was drowned out by the sounds of Imperial weaponry and Titan's rage. Ignis picked up speed, aiming to take out the next couple of magitek troopers before they noticed something was wrong. He ran with long strides and just as the nearest trooper turned to look at him, he thrust his dagger into the trooper's abdomin, ripping the blade across the midsection with a wild ferocity before pulling it out. The trooper sparked and wobbled, but Ignis didn't wait for it to fall and pounced on the next one, knocking it down with a kick to the chest and pinning it down with his foot. He held the gun Prompto gave him in his offhand and put it to the trooper's head before pulling the trigger.

Prompto had caught up by now and veered to the side to take out more troopers. He spun his gun in his hand and whipped the nearest enemy with the butt of his gun while using the dagger in his left hand to stab another. Meeting up with Ignis, he summoned the Bioblaster, charged it, then launched a Gravisphere from it, preventing any more troopers from getting to them.

"Excellent work, Prompto, let's continue." And Ignis was off, racing to the next formation of enemies. Prompto was only a few steps behind him, reloading his gun as he ran to prepare for the skirmish. He occasionally looked back to make sure that they weren't being followed, but otherwise kept his eyes forward, to the task ahead and focused on his companion to keep track of Ignis' movements and his condition. Despite the situation, he couldn't stop a stray thought from popping up in his mind.

_Best legs in the Citadel indeed._

* * *

Prompto couldn't help but remember a certain lecture in Crownsguard training where he had been taught that most of the Empire's victories was from using their powerful commanders to lead assaults and flooding the area with magitek troopers afterward to secure the area and sentry it. Magitek troopers were a great strength of the Empire, but it was also a terrible weakness. Victory and holding land to them was reliant almost entirely on whether or not they threw enough troopers at any given situation.

Another weakness was that magitek troopers had little to no capability to adjust to unexpected situations. For this assault, they were instructed to fight Titan, and so it took them time to realize and react to being sneak attacked from behind. Far too much time. Prompto and Ignis tore through them with ease, and due to their shortcomings as soldiers, entire platoons of magitek troopers failed to stop only two of Lucis' most elite fighters blitzing through them working in tandem.

"Ignis!" Prompto called as he shot a magitek trooper point blank in the forehead. He pointed to a winding path leading down to the bottom of the crater where Noctis was struggling to avoid being crushed by Titan's foot. "Over there! We can get down from there!"

Ignis sliced a trooper's throat and followed Prompto's finger. "Let's go then!" And then they were off, breaking through any magitek troopers that tried to get in their way.

Down at the bottom of the crater, Noctis phased through Titan's hand as the Astral tried repeatedly to slap him into the next week, frequently uttering swears and complaints as he lifted his sword to push away a gigantic god that was earnestly attempting to crush him with his full weight. Anyone watching the spectacle would have no idea how this was even possible and if Noctis was honest, he didn't know how this was happening either.

He wished, sorely, that somebody, _anybody_ was there to help him.

A moment later, Prompto slid right by him.

"Miss us?" he grinned before Noctis pulled him away from being clipped by Titan's fingers. Ignis joined them a moment later, carrying Blizzara grenades in his hands.

"What took you guys so long!?" Noctis snorted, but he couldn't sound truly angry, especially when he could see Gladiolus just managed to make it to the bottom as well.

"Unlike you, we had to take the long way around," Prompto replied, holding up a hand to catch a Blizzara grenade that Ignis tossed him, then threw it to Noctis. "Iggy's got an idea and it involves these babies."

"Yeah?" Noctis said as a grenade was tossed to Gladiolus. "Well, it's not like I have any. Let's give it a shot."

"You can trust Iggy," Prompto said as Titan reared his arm back to try to slam it down on them. Prompto clutched the Blizzara grenade in his hand, and even though he was in the presence of a god, he felt no fear. "He's never wrong."


	6. Ramuh Provides an Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, if you prefer, this chapter can also be called "Hot Damn Ignis Calm Down You're Going to Hurt Yourself If You Keep That Up Why Do You Have to Be So Weird Ignis"

Technically, they had won. They claimed the Royal Arm in the Disc of Cauthess and Noctis passed Titan's trial and forged a covenant with him. Not only that, his headaches were now a thing of the past and they had taken huge strides in their quest to gain the necessary power to fight the Niflheim Empire in just a single day.

So why did they all feel so _miserable?_

No matter how hard Ignis tried, he simply could not come up with an answer. The only thing he did know was that he felt awful and so did the others. It may have been exhaustion. It may have been stress. It may have been the fact that their hands were now tied and they had nothing to do but wait for information on what fate befell their beloved Regalia. It may have been the fact that they knew full well that they were playing into whatever role Ardyn, Ardyn _Izunia_ , High Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire, had laid out for them. Maybe it was all of those things, all at once.

Ardyn had, in that positively infuriating way of his, picked them up right after Noctis sealed the pact with Titan and decimated nearly all of the magitek troopers that had been deployed to the area. Then he dropped them off with a smile at Wiz's Chocobo Ranch and just to add the icing on the humiliation cake, threw them a pouch containing a couple hundred gil saying it would cover a few days worth of rest at the location of their choosing, knowing full well that they were forced to leave the Regalia behind when fleeing the erupting crater and that their only real option was the caravan at the ranch.

And that was why that he, Ignis Scientia, was sitting on a large rock just outside the ranch in the early morning with a box of various poisonous substances and empty vials replenishing his personal supply of battle toxins.

Ignis hated that man. Truly, earnestly, with every fiber of his being, despised Ardyn Izunia. Ardyn was everything a man in his position should not be: evasive, treacherous, and actively working against the nobility he was assigned to serve. If Ignis thought about it long enough, it was actually physically sickening. Having to admit that they had no choice but to accept Ardyn's offer of escape felt like the dirtiest thing Ignis ever had to do and Ignis was a man specifically trained to quickly, quietly, and efficiently take lives with daggers, lances, poison, and sometimes daggers and lances laced with poison.

When he thought of it that way, well, it was no wonder that it seemed like half the people he would see during a Citadel meeting would enter a state of persistent mild terror whenever he entered a room. Or left it. Or even when his name was just mentioned.

He put down the vial of killer bee venom he had been holding, suddenly no longer in the mood to experiment to find a more potent blend of venom than the one he's been using. By now, everyone knew what his clearly marked vials looked like and knew not to touch them. They were dangerous to handle, of course, but what they were truly afraid of was Ignis' wrath if he discovered they had been disturbed.

Now that venom mixing was firmly off the table, Ignis found himself seeking a new way to occupy his time. For the first time since leaving Insomnia, they had nothing to do and nowhere to go. No city to get to and no Royal Tomb to visit. There weren't even any bounties up for hunts. Listening to the radio was also out, because if Ignis had to hear one more piece of Empire propaganda bragging about how they "killed" Titan, he was going to break the poor, innocent radio with his bare hands. A load of chocobo dung that was: Titan was very much still alive. Noctis confirmed it; he said that he could feel Titan's power coursing through the earth with every step he took. It was beyond Ignis' comprehension, and for once, that didn't bother him. It was something he was not meant to know.

Also, reconsidered his previous stance: Imperial propaganda was worthless. Chocobo dung at least had value as fertilizer.

Ignis' thoughts drifted to Prompto, the companion who seemed to be carving out a larger and larger space for himself in Ignis' life with each passing day. More and more, Ignis sought out Prompto's company, finding him to be much more engaging than either Noctis or Gladiolus. Not that he disliked the other two, quite the opposite really, but Prompto was the only one he could talk about certain subjects with and get a meaningful conversation out of it. Prompto was the one who gave him the most appreciation for the things he did to for the group. Prompto was the one who was simply the most _fun_ to be around. Although they had decidedly different experiences, ways of thinking, and dispositions, there was more than enough common ground between them that they had clicked. Ignis found Prompto to be outgoing, friendly, kind, intelligent, and utterly charming.

Prompto was simply captivating in a myriad of ways, and Ignis was not a fool and knew what this meant. He knew it was something he had to deal with on his own time because the fact that he was nursing feelings for Prompto Argentum had to take a backseat to more pressing matters.

Well, now he had time. He didn't want partake in his somewhat disturbing casual toxicology hobby, he had nothing else to do, Noctis was still asleep, and Prompto and Gladiolus were out doing their own individual morning routines. Free time in excess. Ignis cursed his luck.

He had given up on having romantic relationships a few years ago after all of his attempts at having one ended in failure. Catastrophic failure. His duties and hectic lifestyle made things difficult. And the truth was that he didn't feel strongly enough for any of his exes to make it work. None of them were bad people, it was just that his attraction to them were merely short, fleeting infatuations that were destined to fizzle out quickly and he had no desire to string them along in taxing, draining relationships that would ultimately be unfulfilling. The breakups were, for the most part, amicable. Ignis even worked with some of them on a daily basis in the Citadel.

He remembered being told that most of the Crownsguard, Kingsglaive, and other Citadel staff members did not survive the assault. The thought that people he knew, people he _dated_ , were now probably dead, slaughtered at the Empire's hands, chilled him to the bone.

Such morbid thoughts were not what Ignis needed first thing in the morning at Wiz's Chocobo Ranch. He backed up, pretended that last thought about his exes being murdered in cold blood never happened, and went a different route from there.

Prompto was different. He's known Prompto for almost as long as Noctis has and has watched him grow and improve himself constantly as a person and Ignis' opinion of him had changed accordingly over the years, from indifference, to familiarity, to friendship, and recently, a much deeper friendship that has crossed the line to something else. At least on Ignis' end. It almost seemed like a natural, logical progression that he should have anticipated a year or so ago.

Prompto was definitely different from the others. For Prompto, he wanted to try. Wanted to find a way to make it work.

Perhaps he was a fool afterall.

"Morning, Iggy," the greeting, by a familiar voice, was given in a sing song manner and if Ignis wanted to, he could easily pretend that it was the sound of the Duscaean songbirds trilling their morning songs. Prompto had two paper cups of coffee, one in each hand, and offered one to Ignis. "Finest hot beverage straight from Wiz's coffee pot."

"Thank you," Ignis replied and wondered where Prompto got off being so thoughtful as to get him a coffee after his usual morning run.

"So we're stuck here for a while," Prompto said, clearly an attempt to start a conversation. "I mean, we can always hop on the chocobos, but it's not like we can go cross country on them."

"It's too slow and I'd rather not subject our chocobos to that," Ignis agreed, taking a dignified sip of his drink. Chocobos were an incredibly useful and efficient method of travel, but they were living creatures and to drive them that much would be nothing short of cruelty. They were best used for short trips with clear destinations in mind or for traversing terrain that was impossible for motor vehicles. "We already ask a lot from them, and the fact that we need the Regalia back still remains."

Prompto had the lid of his coffee open and was pouring packets of cream and sugar he had brought with him into it. Just enough to make it a bit sweeter, but not too much because he didn't, in his own words, "want to get fat." Prompto idly mixed his drink with a wooden stirrer until the coffee became a lighter shade of brown and replaced the lid before taking a sip and taking a seat next to Ignis on the rock.

"Ha, I knew you loved chocobos, Iggy."

"They are outgoing, friendly, kind, intelligent, and utterly charming. There is little to dislike about them," Ignis responded after another drink of his coffee. "It is also our duty, as responsible owners, to treat them with dignity and compassion."

"Man, I can't believe we actually _own_ them. I mean, Wiz takes care of them for us, but they're actually _ours_."

Their chocobos had been a gift from Wiz after they had slain the fearsome behemoth, Deadeye. They were given the first picks of the chocobos for their exclusive use, and each found a bird that he had bonded with well.

Prompto made a displeased noise, the same kind he always made when he was about to complain about something, and leaned against Ignis' shoulder.

"This sucks, Iggy," he said. "A whole bunch of stuff is happening, stuff we don't know about, and we're stuck here doing nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love this place, but it's hard to enjoy it when there's so many things to worry about."

Ignis knew how he felt, and those same worries were crossing his mind. With no tasks or distractions, it only meant that darker thoughts had the opportunity to creep into their minds and slowly poison them with stress. Where were the rest of the Royal Tombs? What did forging the convenant with Titan mean for them, in both the short and long term. Would they see the Regalia again? Would they ever get to Altissia? Was the Oracle safe, wherever she was? And even in the best case scenario, where they made it to Altissia and met up at last with Lady Lunafreya, what then? Would the wedding still happen? Would it still have meaning, or would it just be a pointless, empty, or even mocking gesture?

Were it not for unique bond between Noctis and Lady Lunafreya, Ignis would have preferred to call the whole damn wedding off. After all, it was meant to represent peace, a fake peace the Empire used to betray them, kill their king, and oppress their citizens. Were Noctis to marry any person other than Lady Lunafreya, Ignis would have instead just taken the prince as far away from Altissia as he possibly could.

Politics. Even in a world where the Empire has achieved near total domination he still had to worry about it. Although Ignis never approved, he could also never blame Noctis for wanting to avoid it whenever possible. He wanted to as well.

Fortunately for Ignis, all of those worries soon became distant, drowned out by the fact that Prompto seemed to be very content leaning on him like this. And honestly, Ignis was too. Thank the Astrals, the sun, the stars, fate, and anything and everything else he could thank for Prompto. Without Prompto here to inject a little bit of joy and normalcy in his life in on a daily basis, Ignis was fairly sure he would have gone mad ages ago. At this point, it was almost as if he needed Prompto in his life.

 _Wonderful,_ he thought, his own patented brand of sarcasm turning onto himself. _Fine work. This is exactly what you needed: to fan the flames of your little crush on the man you are teetering on the edge of becoming codependent on and torture yourself._ If analytical, sarcastic Ignis were a separate person, he would be rolling his eyes at him right now. _You are a font of good ideas and decisions. Excelsior, Scientia. Bravo._

Mentally, he told analytical, sarcastic Ignis to shut up and let him have this.

"Prompto," he said, and when Prompto shifted to look up at him with those blue eyes of his, Ignis nearly forgot what he wanted to say. "I-"

Thunder sounded in the distance, and Ignis _did_ forget what he wanted to say. Both of them turned their attentions upward and what had just been a lovely blue sky was now suddenly a dark grey and covered in the thickest layer of clouds either of them had ever seen. Lightning flashed. Another thunder crack, and without warning, the heavens opened up to seemingly drop an entire lake's worth of water at once.

Ignis hastily grabbed his box of venom with one hand and the two of them ran as quickly as they could for the caravan, still holding their coffees.

* * *

"Look who's soaked now," Noctis smirked as Ignis and Prompto dashed into the caravan. It had only been a minute's run back, but they were already completely, and thoroughly drenched.

"The cause of this was a sudden, unnatural change in weather and not poor decisions, meaning we are still well ahead of you in that respect," Ignis answered. As he spoke, Prompto purposefully got water onto the prince.

"Hey!" Noctis protested, grabbing a pair of towels and throwing them at the the pair. "Whatever, just dry off already. You're getting water everywhere."

Ten minutes later, both men had wiped all the water from their skin and changed into fresh, dry clothes. Their hair, however, still remained damp and there wasn't much either of them could do about it other than combing and waiting for it to dry out. They sat side by side at the dining booth in the caravan, sipping their still warm coffees. They watched the storm rage outside. A few plastic chairs turned over in the wind. There was already massive puddles forming on the ground. It didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon.

"That is not natural," Ignis said, and it wasn't a guess. He knew for sure it was a fact. "It's the work of the Fulgurian."

"Meaning we're going to have to go out," Prompto translated, deadpan. "In that."

"In that," Ignis confirmed. "We'll probably need the chocobos. Remind me to buy high quality greens for them before we set out."

"Persephone's gonna be so mad at you."

"Hence the apology greens."

"What about me? Don't I get something? I'm preemptively mad at you for making future me go out in that."

"It's not my choice to go out in that weather either. I suggest you take up your grievances with Ramuh himself."

Prompto pouted. "Don't dodge the question."

"Then I will preemptively apologize for your preemptive anger. Are you open to rib steak for dinner tonight?"

"The spicy dualhorn one, right? Absolutely!" Prompto's pout instantly transformed into an excited smile as he wrapped both arms around Ignis in a hug. "You're preemptively forgiven. You're the best, Iggy."

Ignis used one hand to gently push Prompto away, but he didn't try very hard at it and thus failed to dislodge Prompto from his person, for he actually wanted to savor this moment, but he had to at least pretend to try to pry Prompto off and by the Six, he was pathetic. "Would you like to help? I did promise to teach you a few things about cooking food that actually has flavor."

"Yes!" Prompto replied immediately, letting Ignis go. "Now I can't wait, and it's only morning." Prompto dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking the time. It was still far too early to be thinking about making dinner. "Wanna play King's Knight while we wait?"

"You guys are playing King's Knight?" Noctis asked, joining them in a few short strides and sitting in the bench opposite of them. "Hang on, I'm joining you. You jerks aren't allowed to have fun without me." As the game loaded on his phone, he looked up and over at Gladiolus, who was busy texting his sister on his phone, letting her know they were all still safe and still not dead. "Hey Gladio, get your butt over here; we're King's Knighting."

"Yes, Your Highness," Gladiolus mock sighed, sending one last message off to Iris before joining them, taking a seat beside Noctis and accidentally-on-purpose mildly squished him against the caravan wall. Noctis kicked him for his efforts.

The four of them played and Ignis wondered how well these three did without him, because it was pretty damn clear that somebody here was carrying the entire group on his back and that person was him.

"Please enlighten me: why are you all so bad at this?"

* * *

"This," Ignis said, passing Prompto a salt shaker. "is salt." A second shaker was handed over. "And this is pepper."

"Uh, I think I know this already." Prompto said, holding one shaker in each hand and looking back and forth between them.

"No," Ignis corrected. "You don't. You know _of_ salt and pepper, but you don't know _about_ them." He reached over to pluck the pepper shaker from Prompto's hand and placed it on the kitchenette counter. "Pepper is one of the basic, simplest ways to add flavor to a dish. It is also easy to grow, has high yields, keeps well, and can grow in a wide variety of biomes." He then took the other shaker from Prompto, and almost slammed it down onto the counter. "Salt is one of the most important resources in history. It is one of the basic flavors humans can taste and is actually an essential mineral for most living creatures, including us. It is also used as a preservative and is considered one of the great luxuries of human civilization."

Prompto stared at him, blinked, then asked timidly, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to understand how important they are, and a little bit of education never hurt anyone," Ignis answered. "They are two of the most powerful culinary tools to exist and the right, or wrong, amount of seasoning can singlehandedly perfect or destroy an entire dish. Wars have been fought over salt and spices, Prompto. Now wash your hands before we continue."

Prompto did so, removing his gloves and setting them aside before turning on the faucet. Ignis noticed he kept his wristbands on, but he didn't say anything of it. They wouldn't get in the way of cooking, so if Prompto wanted to keep them on it wouldn't be a problem.

By the time he had dried off his hands, Ignis already had the dualhorn meat out, neatly butchered and arranged on a cutting board. He instructed Prompto to first sprinkle pepper over them and rub them into the meat.

"You mean with my fingers?" Prompto asked.

"Yes, with your fingers. And only use a little bit at first. You can always add more seasoning to something, but taking it out is often impossible."

Prompto did what he was told, all the while seeming wary or even scared of the shaker in his hand, but began to relax once he seemed to realize that the pepper was not going to suddenly jump up off the meat and lodge itself directly into his eye. Ignis watched him while chopping allural shallots for a side dish and preparing the rest of the ingredients, which was something a little beyond Prompto's current skill level. They moved to salt after that, and Ignis had to almost bat the shaker out of Prompto's hand when a little too much started pouring out. He should have warned him that salt came out of the shaker a bit easier than pepper did.

Once the meat was seasoned, Ignis had Prompto pass him the cooking oil, which he put into the pan he was going to use to cook the steaks. He explained the process in depth and even allowed Prompto to put the meat into the pan. Prompto seemed entirely engrossed in the lesson, and once Ignis told him his part was finished, Prompto immediately washed his hands for a second time and got his camera, snapping whatever pictures he could.

"You seem particularly enthusiastic."

"Dude, I helped make this. Like, actually did something kind of useful. I gotta document it." As he spoke, Prompto didn't stop taking pictures. He had to have multiple shots from multiple angles of everything: the meat cooking, the plating, and Ignis putting the pan into the sink for later cleaning.

"You did," Ignis said. "With a little more training you can be my sous chef."

"Your what?"

"My assistant. Next time I'll teach you to make soup stock."

Prompto beamed. "Can't wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if ignis started a band he would 100% name it "Casual Toxicology"


	7. Cape Caem Brings a Change in Pace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> q: what happens when you injure yourself and find yourself unable to move for a day
> 
> a: continue your dumb fanfic
> 
> (I'm fine now)

Prompto would have thought that Ramuh's task was going to be easier than Titan's. After all, the Stormsender didn't seem very interested in fighting Noctis for his approval. But no, he was wrong. That's what he got for thinking things would be easier.

For one, there was that storm. A little bit of rain never hurt anyone, but when it was a lot of rain? It hurt. It hurt _a lot._ The rain came down hard and fast, and it was actually painful to feel the droplets on his skin. Any more force, and Prompto figured they would actually rip right through his body like millions of aquatic bullets. The lightning was blinding. The sound of falling water and thunder was deafening and they all had to shout at the top of their lungs in order to say anything to each other.

And then there was the water, because when rain falls it doesn't just simply disappear. With so much rain falling so quickly, the puddles were more like ponds. Ramuh had to do the trial thing. He got that. But did Ramuh have to threaten the entire Duscaean ecosystem to do it? Nearly every square inch of ground that wasn't angled had flooded. Alstor Slough looked twice as large as it normally was and more than once, Noctis actually looked at the water longingly, but before he could say a single thing about fishing, one of the others would give him a light whack to keep him on task and remind him that his previous creative fishing adventure ended badly for him.

They were all going to get sick. Prompto knew it. They were all going to end up shivering and coughing and sneezing and miserable. And yet, as bad as it was, the chocobos probably had it even worse. They were the ones who were actually doing the heavy lifting, trudging through the wind and rain.

He then thought maybe once they were inside the hollow with the final runestone things could get moderately better. They would at least be sheltered from the rain, and at that point, Prompto was more than willing to fight off the inevitable daemons that were all but guaranteed to attack them over spending any more time in the storm. The chocobos sought shelter near the rocky walls, protected from the wind and some of the rain and curled up, as if they were trying to pretend the storm wasn't raging around them.

Fociaugh Hollow was not better. It was worse. It was cold and damp and Prompto was pretty sure he suffered permanent mental scarring in there. He genuinely thought he was going to die when a huge lady snake daemon pulled him down a hole he was stupidly staring down (clearly he hadn't learned his lesson from all the horror movies Noctis would make him watch) and dragged along the unforgiving stone floor. It was only by the grace of the gods that he was able to wriggle free, run like hell away from what was easily the scariest daemon he'd ever seen, and make it back to the others where he clung to Ignis' arm for dear life and had to be physically pried off by Gladiolus.

And of course they had to fight her, because Noctis angered her, but Prompto had to be fair to his buddy this time: he was pretty sure no matter what happened, they were going to end up fighting the daemon. The daemon, the naga, targeted Prompto specifically, making his usual tactics of stay out of the way and use range unable to be used. As the naga slammed her body into him, he had to wonder if this was how she usually treated children and if so, no wonder her baby was gone. It either ran away or was crushed by her smothering "love."

The naga's single focus on him let his friends get in many good, strong hits, but the naga was a resilient daemon with a few tricks of her own. Tired of Prompto constantly running away from her, she exhaled a toxin that, much to Prompto's horror, turned whatever it hit into toads. His friends were hit several times and each time he worried for them as they fled for small cracks to hide in until it wore off. Then, at last, it was his turn. Not only was having his body completely and utterly transformed into that of a helpless amphibian giving him the worst out of body experience of his life, it just made the naga even larger and even scarier and he had basically no hope of escaping her. As he tried to hop away, at a pace that could only be described as "excruciatingly slow," he saw Gladiolus stick his greatsword into the naga's tail to slow her down while Noctis threw his sword and warped directly into her face. Which was all well and good, but his levels of terror were still at an all time high.

When he was picked up off the ground, he let out a loud croak, the toad equivalent of shrilling scream. But it was not the naga that had picked him up, it was the firm, but gentle hands of Ignis, who had taken the moment their friends had given them to rescue Prompto.

"I've got you," he said, cradling the friend-turned-frog in his left arm as he used his right to wield his spear, jabbing at the naga as she tried to approach. "You needn't worry about a thing, Promptoad."

If Prompto could hit him, he would have, and instead just let out a long, low croak of intense disapproval. That pun was stupid and embarrassing and he could not _believe_ that Ignis could find the time to crack jokes in the face of the most terrifying daemon Prompto had ever seen. Still, at the same time, Prompto pressed close to him, knowing his fate was more or less entirely in Ignis' hands. As naga got closer and Ignis ran out of space to retreat to, back pressed against a stone wall, he used his polearm to vault to safety when she tried to rush them, causing the snake daemon to end up face first in the wall and momentarily stunned. Not about to let this prime opportunity go to waste, the three humans rushed the naga, hacking at her vulnerable body until she shrieked, convulsed, and finally died.

Noctis wrinkled his nose in dainty disgust and stepped over the body, heading to the back of the large cavern they were in. "That was awful. Let's never do that again."

"It's a good thing Sania wasn't here," Gladiolus smiled, following him. "She would have had a field day with that."

They heard the sound of a _thud_ behind them, and both of them turned around to see a disoriented human Prompto flattening Ignis beneath his weight.

Noctis burst out laughing while Gladiolus let out a low whistle before heading over to pull Prompto to his feet.

"Whoa there," he chuckled as Prompto struggled to readjust to being himself again and regain his balance. "Slow down, Lover Boy. You can show Iggy your appreciation when we get back to the caravan." He accompanied his words with a waggle of his eyebrows and Prompto could feel his cheeks turning red before he gave Gladiolus the hardest shove he could, making his friend momentarily lose his balance. Which, considering their respective statures, was an impressive feat of brute strength.

"Shut up!" Prompto ordered, but it was too late. Noctis shot him a devilish grin and wrapped an arm around Prompto's shoulders, yanking his friend close. There was a look of realization in his eyes, as if he had just made an important and interesting discovery.

"I see what's going on here. Did Gladio touch a nerve?"

Prompto made a wide variety of sounds that sounded like they were supposed to be words, but couldn't quite form and instead left his mouth as a symphony of protests and whimpers of despair.

"If you two are done teasing poor Prompto," Ignis said, pushing himself off the ground, and brushing past them. He used one hand to pull Noctis' arm off Prompto. "I ask you to remember that we came in here for a reason. Now come. Ramuh awaits."

* * *

The rain had stopped once they stepped back outside and the cheerful, bright blue skies were almost insulting after everything they went through. After everything _Prompto_ went through. After a call from Cindy and an Imperial carrier flying right over their heads, they at last had a new destination: an Imperial base at the edge of the region. That was where the Regalia was taken and if they didn't get her back soon, she was going to be lost forever.

Despite the carrier that was likely on the way to said base, they had a couple days to act. Unloading supplies from such a massive airship and then reloading it with everything that needed to leave the base was going to take a while. Supplies needed to be counted, flight paths coordinated, permission asked for, reports made, meticulous record keeping to be done, and more. A slow process that was sure to be made even slower considering the Empire probably had few bodies that were actually capable of doing any of those tasks. For once, Prompto was thankful for the overabundant bureaucracy that always made simple things so much more complicated than they needed to be.

Their loyal chocobos were still waiting for them at the hollow's entrance and they headed west, towards the opposite end of Duscae. A few days later, they reached Aracheole Stronghold and split into two groups to conduct reconnaissance. The place was huge and as expected, crawling with Niflheim forces.

Recon was one of Prompto's strong suits, it was a task that played naturally to his strengths. Finding clear vantage points away from enemy line of sight was a finely honed skill of his and made use of it on a daily basis as they got into scraps with beast, daemon, and Imperials alike. He was on a tall hill overlooking the garrison, giving him a good glimpse at the surrounding area, the walls, and a little bit of what was in them as well. He snapped pictures of the base from multiple locations and angles, zooming in on anything that looked to be interesting.

Noctis, on the other hand, was just there to watch Prompto's back. He wasn't trained in intelligence. That was the job of those who served him. Plus it would be hard for him to do any type of reconnaissance when his anger towards the Empire still burned as brightly as it did the day he saw the headlines that Insomnia had fallen. Instead of information gathering, if Noctis was in charge, he would be charging straight in to try to raze the place to the ground. He had taken out his phone, playing with apps as he looked up every few minutes just to make sure some magitek trooper wasn't sneaking up behind them.

Down there, somewhere, were Ignis and Gladiolus, the former doing the up close and personal recon and the other being there to be the Noctis to Ignis' Prompto.

He worried for them, even though he knew they were safe. If they had been spotted, the base would be alight with activity. Even then, his thoughts were filled with images of Ignis and Gladiolus getting captured. Or worse. He tried to shoo them away.

His phone rang, a call he was expecting. Prompto answered on the first ring.

"Hi, Iggy. Everything's good from here. You?"

"Doing well."

Prompto snapped a few pictures of the war machines he could see from his position. There weren't a lot of them, and he suspected that the base was currently operating under minimum security conditions based on what he could see. Why wouldn't they? The Empire had no real enemies opposing them left. Tenebrae was conquered and Accordo had no choice but to submit to them to avoid annihilation. Lucis was occupied, kingless (functionally), had no armed forces remaining, and was basically done for except for its fugitive prince and his three followers and a few scattered Crownsguard survivors. Who was going to attack a manned garrison that had been standing since the Old War?

"I can't see the whole base," Prompto said, "but what I can see it looks pretty lightly guarded as far as the Niffs go. I got pictures." His thoughts went back to the war machines. Even if they were caught when trying to sneak into the base, there wouldn't be enough time to activate all of them. One or two might get operational, but unless they got themselves into an extended, prolonged battle, it wasn't going to happen. He'd have to talk to Ignis about it later and see if he agreed.

"Wonderful news. I think I've found our way in. It's a side door that looks to be forgotten. There doesn't appear to be any guards on watch and no patrols have come by in an hour."

If that was true, it was almost as if they were being invited in. It could possibly be a trap, but Prompto saw no need to bring it up. If he saw that possibility, then Ignis did, too. And if it was a trap, it was one they had no choice but to walk into. They couldn't afford to lose the Regalia.

Ignis continued. "It seems we have the information we need. We'll reconvene at camp and come up with a plan."

Despite the fact that Ignis was probably a good two miles or so away, Prompto grinned. "Sounds great. See you later, Iggy."

"Goodbye, Prompto."

Prompto pushed the end call button, pleased that the mission went well. From his expression, one would think that he had just been discussing something fun and lighthearted with Ignis, not sharing important information that they were going to use to sneak into an Imperial base to steal back their stolen property.

"Have fun talking to your boyfriend?" Noctis asked, and Prompto hoped that his friend wouldn't notice his slightly reddened face as he reached over to punch him in the arm.

"Are you still going on about that?" He asked as he walked past Noctis and signaled for him to follow. "That got old like, three days ago. Come on, we're meeting Iggy and Gladio at camp."

"Look, I'm gonna be blunt," Noctis said, yawning as he moved for the first time in what felt like hours. "Is there something going on between you and Specs?"

Prompto stiffened, then turned around. "What makes you say that?" He asked, a little bit too loud and a little bit too quickly. "There's a such thing as running a joke into the ground, Noct."

"No, I'm serious here. You two hang out a lot these days, and by that, I mean just you two. No me or Gladio. And I'm pretty sure you guys have spent time together these past two months than in all five years I've known you combined."

"You're exaggerating," Prompto said. This was not the time to talk about this. Not that he did want to talk about it, but Noctis apparently decided now, while they're supposed to be all working together to get their car back, was the time to do it. No wonder Ignis had to make his schedules for him.

"I sleep and fish a lot, but I'm not stupid."

"Debatable."

Noctis grunted, knowing he had walked right into that one.

"Look, we became better friends," Prompto explained. "Turns out we always could have been. We just needed to sit down and learn about each other. Did you know he loves metal, Noct? Because I didn't. We're close buddies now."

"Is that all you want to be?" Noctis asked, putting down his phone and looking to the side.

"Noct, I-"

"I mean, it's not like I have a problem with that," Noctis shrugged, trying to look cool and failing quite badly at it. It was one of the most awkward things Prompto had ever seen, and he saw his own reflection daily. "Could be good. For both of you. Or if you don't, that's fine too. You guys obviously are great friends now. It's just..."

By now, Prompto had forgotten entirely about reconnaissance as crept closer to Noctis; as if his friend were a frightened animal that could bolt if he made any sudden moves. He held his camera in one hand, but taking pictures was the furthest thing from his mind.

"What?" he asked, using his free hand to reach out and touch Noctis' shoulder. Part of him felt uncomfortable trying to urge Noctis to continue, but at the same time, his own doubts and insecurities were beginning to flare up. There was the distinct possibility he had done something to hurt his best friend, and the fear of that far outweighed any other anxiety that he held. "Just what, Noct. You gotta talk to me, bro. I can't understand what's bothering you if you don't tell me."

"It's just..." Noctis bit his lip. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

It took a moment for Prompto to piece everything together. Despite his somewhat simple and predictable behavior, Noctis Lucis Caelum was an incredibly complex person, a fact that Prompto had to learn over a long period of time. It was easy to guess what Noctis would do. It was harder to figure out _why_ he was doing it, and he was never good at directly communicating what he was thinking or feeling. Absolutely, positively awful at it. Prompto knew Noctis was trying to tell him something and it was up to him to figure it out.

"You're jealous," Prompto finally said, and Noctis looked simutaneously shocked and relieved. "And you're scared." He mustered up the best smile he could and enveloped Noctis in a hug. "You don't have to be. I owe you everything. You're my best friend, and I don't know if you understand how important that is to me. There's no way I can describe it; words just don't do it justice. All I can do is ask you to believe me. And Ignis, you're his number one. He'd tear down the sky for you. Doesn't matter if that's literally impossible, he'd do it."

Noctis didn't say anything in reply, but he looked Prompto in the eyes, as if searching for some kind of answer in them.

"Me and Ignis, we'll never leave you behind. Ever. We are Crownsguard, sworn to be with you always. But more importantly, you're our friend and you're a huge part of our lives whether you like it or not." Prompto then snorted. "You'll never be rid of us, and we'll never be rid of you. You, me, Iggy, and Gladio: we'll all grow old together and when we're lying on our deathbeds we'll be pissing each other off with our dying breaths."

"You..." Noctis said, then brushed Prompto's hand off his shoulder. "...you were doing really good at the inspirational talk thing until that last part."

"You weren't saying anything and I was getting really worried."

It was Noctis' turn to walk by him. "You didn't answer my question, by the way, but I guess I won't make you. Do what makes you happy. Or whatever."

The operation to recover the Regalia went about as smoothly as it possibly could, although Ignis needed a minute to recover from the shock of seeing her beat up, windows broken due to appaling mistreatment by the Empire. They would need to get her back to Hammerhead immediately to be repaired and examined for any potential broken components they couldn't see.

And then Ravus Nox Fleuret and Ardyn Izunia showed up and ruined their happy victory because someone apparently decided they weren't allowed to have nice things.

That person was probably Ardyn.

* * *

A week and five hundred gil later, they pulled into Lestallum, looking for a even a shred of respite. They found none, for they were greeted by a sobbing Iris and a traumatized Talcott. The Empire had come to Lestallum, took advantage of Talcott's trusting nature, and as a result, Jared had been captured, tortured, and killed by Niflheim. Gladiolus looked horrified, then in a fit of rage, punched his own palm with every ounce of strength. Iris had to cling to her brother's arm and beg him to not hurt himself.

They spent only one night in Lestallum, and even Noctis was willingly up bright and early the next morning. Iris needed to be taken to Cape Caem as soon as possible.

Stopping in Old Lestallum to refill on gas, they learned of the location of another Imperial base.

Noctis wanted to torch it. Ignis suggested they capture the officer commanding it before setting it ablaze, but he definitely did not object to the fire part. In the end, neither happened, and it was kind of subpar as revenge for Jared, but they felt a lot better breaking everything inside of it.

Well, actually, they only broke about half the stuff in there. The other half was broken by the mercenary dragoon that Niflheim had hired. She was easily one of the most fearsome opponents they faced. She was a deadly mix of both agility and power, strong on her feet, but a master of the skies. She was overpowered eventually, but the fight was long and painful for everyone involved.

"We better watch out for that one," Ignis said as they watched her retreat on a red dropship. "The fact that she was able to fight all four of us for so long means her abilities are top notch."

"Pretty telling that all of the Empire's best fighters are the ones from the outside," Gladiolus smirked. "Means they don't have any talent of their own."

"And yet, they are the ones who are winning the war by a large margin," Ignis replied, making no effort to hide that he had taken offense at what was just said. "Her origin doesn't matter. Neither does ours. The only thing that's important is who we choose to fight for."

"What's he so pissed about?" Gladiolus asked once Ignis was out of earshot. Both Prompto and Noctis rolled their eyes.

"Think about it a bit," Noctis said, patting him on the shoulder. "The answer will come to you."

"Let's just say you really put your foot in your mouth," Prompto added. "Big time."

Gladiolus mulled it over for a moment, arms crossed until he realized his mistake in a flash of sudden clarity. "...Oh. Shit."

When they got back to the car and Gladiolus had to explain to Iris why Ignis was upset, she elbowed him in the gut and forced him to apologize.

"You okay?" Prompto asked once they were on the road again.

"I'm...fine," Ignis answered, reaching for a can of Ebony. It was obvious to both of them that he wasn't. His words were stilted, as if Ignis thought his own voice sounded foreign to him.

"I'm not gonna tell you to not let it to get to you because that's stupid," Prompto said. He knew all too well that you can't just not let things bother you. That wasn't how things worked. It wasn't how being human worked. "I just want you to know that I know you work three times as hard as anyone else and you've done more for Lucis than people twice your age."

"I have to," Ignis said, then chugged half the can in one go. "If I want to serve the country I love and remain at Noct's side, that's what I have to do. Be three times better than anyone else."

Prompto could practically hear his heart breaking. "I know...I know."

* * *

Cape Caem was beautiful.

It emitted a serenity that made it feel like a distant land, someplace far away from the turmoil and tragedy of the world. The house was a little run down, but far from unpleasant. Dustin and Monica were not only upkeeping it, but doing any necessary repairs and were in the process of giving it a bit of a facelift. For Prompto, it was, admittedly, weird seeing members of the Crownsguard doing what would normally be jobs for regular civilians.

A sign that things had changed, even if Cape Caem seemed like it was impervious to the effects of time.

Everything had changed so much.

Prompto wondered how he changed.

They settled into Cape Caem for the night, the first time they had any real rest for days. The next morning, they acted like they were normal people. Doing normal things. Gladiolus helped Dustin replace some of the siding on the house. Ignis and Monica took inventory of the pantry and made a list of ingredients to buy. Prompto swept the floors. Even Noctis helped, planting Caem Carrots in the outside garden. Not that he had made peace with them, of course, but he saw the value and importance of growing them. As resource. That _other_ people were going to eat.

During their free time, each of them went to visit the makeshift memorial to Jared that was made for him in a quiet area of Cape Caem's land. Prompto barely knew Jared, but he knew the man was loyal, loving, and brave. That was more than enough for him. He stopped by to say his thanks, and later on, when he passed it on his way to buy food from the nearby vendor, he saw Gladiolus seated at it. Prompto passed by, pretending he didn't see anything.

A new plan was formed. They would take King Regis' old boat from Caem's harbor and sail to Altissia from there. Except there was a tiny problem: the boat wasn't sea worthy, needed repair, and Cid needed a certain rare material called mythril in order to fix it up. Until they could locate some, they were still landbound.

That night, Ignis and Monica combined their culinary talents to create a truly magnificent meal. Prompto thought he was going to cry at one point. It was just so good and he was so happy and he could just eat Ignis' cooking every day of his life and never get tired of it.

That night, Prompto lay in bed and wondered how he would continue to change.

The next day, Prompto passed by Noctis as both were on their way to do their morning chores and his friend gave him a smile and a lazy wave as he exited the house and Prompto picked up a can of paint meant for repainting one of the bathrooms, a nice, relaxing shade of baby blue. He had just finished outlining the window with painter's tape when a spray of water spashed violently against the it, causing him to jump over and very nearly knock over the paint. He pressed his face to the pane to see Noctis doing battle with an out of control garden hose. He was losing. Prompto doubled over laughing.

"Prompto, are you all right?" came Ignis' voice as he appeared in the bathroom doorway. "I thought I heard something fall."

Prompto had to force himself to calm down enough to talk. "No, Iggy, that...that was just me. Oh em gee, Ignis, you gotta look out the window." He held up a shaky hand pointing outside and was seized by another round of laughing.

Ignis reached the window just in time for another spray of water to crash against the glass and he drew back, as if he himself had been struck by the water, then leaned in close again to see that Noctis had lost control of the hose altogether and it was now writhing around spewing water everywhere like a dying seadevil and every time Noctis got close, it would somehow redirect its spray directly into his face. Ignis put a hand to his mouth and his entire body started to shake.

Prompto grinned and patted him on the back. "Go on. I won't tell anyone. Let it all out."

Ignis threw his head back and laughed, and Prompto was impressed that he could make even uncontrollable laughter have an air of class. "I...I told him not to...not to turn the faucet the entire way," he managed to get out between cackles.

"You should have known that there was a chance that he was going to do it just because you said not to!" Prompto replied, a new laughing fit grabbing hold of him.

"I was hoping he would listen to me for once," Ignis chuckled, then took a deep breath and looked at Prompto, with a face that just screamed playful and mischievous, eyes narrow and a devilish smile on his mouth.

Prompto swallowed. Ignis continued.

"Although I...may have also secretly hoped that he _wouldn't_ listen and do exactly that, and the results turned out even better than expected. Whichever he did, it would be a victory for me."

"You can be brutal sometimes," Prompto told him, once he had collected himself. "Anybody ever tell you that?"

"Multiple people used to say it to me in different variations daily."

"You're terrifying."

"And yet, you still willingly choose to spend time with me."

"Because when you're not being scary, you're great to be around."

Ignis looked at him as if he had grown a second head, and Prompto returned it. Had nobody ever told him that before? Ever? That couldn't possibly be true. He clicked his tongue as he thought about it. Most people only seemed to know him professionally. As a nobleman, as a government official, as a Crownsguard, and as Noctis' advisor-slash-servant-slash-older brother figure-slash-surrogate parent. They didn't know about the Ignis who was a devout fan of Insomnia's biggest pop star or the Ignis who treated his chocobo like a princess.

Prompto knew that Ignis. And he knew so much more about him too.

"I mean, you know about a lot of cool stuff. You're funny, and you're nice to me _without_ treating me like I'm stupid or like a kid. What's there to not like about you?"

"I am stuck up, a killjoy, and have a crippling addiction to caffine."

"They add to your charm," Prompto shrugged. "And you know how to have fun you just. Don't get the opportunity to, or nobody gives you the chance to show them how fun you can be."

Ignis looked back out the window, back at Noctis, probably the only person in the world who could mess up the task of watering the garden that spectacularly. Prompto wondered what he was thinking, what the logic behind a man who has to spend so much time being better than everyone else, yet didn't seem to think he's very good at all. Wondered how he could convince him otherwise.

Since Ignis didn't seem to want to do it, Prompto changed the subject himself.

"Should we go save him?"

"Noct needs to learn to fight some battles on his own," Ignis said, relieved at the change in topic. "We should consider that practice for when he faces Leviathan."

Prompto knelt down to pour paint into a paint tray and picked up a paint roller.

As he painted, he wondered how he wanted to change.

* * *

The third morning, Prompto saw Talcott smile for the first time since the day they left Lestallum for the Disc of Cauthess. The boy was hurting inside. It was plain as day. But who could blame him? He had lost his grandfather and he was old enough to understand that he had played a role in it. No matter how much anyone tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault, Talcott knew. Being told he couldn't have known what would happen did nothing to make him feel better. Maybe it made things even worse.

Talcott said there was a legend that mythril could be found in the most northwestern region of Lucis, near a lake, which was quickly deduced to be the Vesperpool. The problem with that was that like the Disc, it too was under Imperial control. They would have to figure out a way in.

Or take a chance that the door would simply open for them because of the influence of a certain someone they tried not to think about whenever possible.

Gladiolus took the time to announce that he wouldn't be joining them up there. That there was "something" he wanted to do, and it couldn't involve anyone else. It was both surprising and not: anyone could tell that something was eating away at him. The combination of the loss of Jared, his friend and loyal butler and his quick and deciding loss to Ravus at Aracheole Stronghold must have taken a toll on him and he was no doubt concerned about his ability to protect his charge and his sister. It was just surprising that he was choosing to leave for a while to do something about it instead of asking the others to go with him.

Prompto wondered if this was like, the ultimate cool off walk for him.

They would set out first thing in the morning, and so they acted as if the day was like the previous two: working more to get the house upgraded and in shape. Some strange restaurateur who sounded like Dino came by, interested in Caem Carrots. Noctis was all too happy to sell some to him. Prompto wondered if the accent just made the people who had it weird.

In the morning, Prompto helped Cid do maintenance on the lighthouse equipment. At night, he helped Ignis and Monica cook, although it made the kitchen a little crowded, especially when that cat from Galdin Quay showed up and decided he was going to take up residence there. Prompto's job eventually devolved from chopping vegetables to full time "stop the cat from touching the fish" duty. It was actually very difficult. The cat wasn't even trying to eat it. He just wanted to touch it, like he had some weird fascination with fish. The cat was basically Noctis in feline form.

After dinner, everyone relaxed together for one more night before they had to split up again. The idea of going somewhere without Gladiolus was still one that Prompto was trying to process. Going somewhere with just the three of them felt...wrong. Like they were incomplete.

They chatted, swapped stories, and played games together. Prompto learned that Dustin was absolutely killer at darts and that watching Monica and Ignis go head to head at cards was one of the most intense spectator sports in existence.

The party went on a little later than they intended and at 1 AM, Iris, Dustin, and Monica shuffled off to their own rooms while carrying a sleeping Talcott. The rest of them hurried through their nightly rituals and flopped into bed, dozing off quickly.

Prompto had a dream. When he woke up, he knew what he wanted to change.

He was the first awake and he rolled out the bed to stretch his limbs. He rubbed his eyes and trudged to the bathroom to wash his face and fix his hair. Prompto squinted into the mirror as he worked to achieve perfection. He looked down at the sink at the case containing his contacts and packed them up along with the rest of his toiletries. When he got back out, he dug through his things until he found a small, rectangular box with rounded corners.

Ten minutes later, Ignis woke up.

"Prompto, is that you?" he asked as he reached over to the nightstand to get his glasses. "Good morning-" he cut his greeting off as he saw Prompto fully dressed for the day and relaxing on his bed, playing a game on his phone.

"Morning, Iggy," Prompto returned, closing the app and looking at him over black frames.

"I see you're wearing your glasses today."

"Yeah, I..." Prompto trailed off and as much as he wanted to break eye contact out of nervousness, he forced himself to keep steady. "...I just thought that today would be a good day for a change of pace."

Ignis looked pensive for a moment before he too, got up to use the washroom. When he returned, there was something decidedly different about him.

"You're wearing contacts," Prompto said. He could just barely see them on Ignis' green eyes.

"Yes," Ignis said, as he reached up to fiddle with glasses that weren't there and ended up just poking at his own nose. He dropped his hand in embarrassment and took a seat next to Prompto. "I realized you were right. Today is a good day for a change of pace."

They sat like that for what felt like a long time, simply looking at the other's face in the light of the morning sun shining through the window. This close, Prompto could see and count the imperfections in Ignis' skin, see the exact shade of green of his eyes.

Ignis stared back, and Prompto wondered what he was seeing. But one thing was for sure.

The pace between them was definitely changing.


	8. Aranea Highwind Ponders Her Options

Ignis felt light headed.

It was just a simple gesture, yet it had such a powerful and profound effect that it left him dazed and stupefied.

Prompto grabbed his wrist and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Um...hello? Iggy? Are you okay?"

"You kissed me," Ignis said, dumbly.

Prompto put down his hand. "Well, I guess if you want to call it that, yeah. But if you ask me it was more like. Just. Brushing my lips against yours?"

"You kissed me," Ignis repeated.

A grimace crossed Prompto's face and he placed the back of his hand on Ignis' forehead. "Are you sick? Wait, should I have not kissed you? Shit. Um. I am so, so, sorry Ignis." He shrunk away, scooting a few inches along the bed as if a minute increase of distance would right the wrong he had just committed. His glasses slid down his face as he moved with all the grace of a newborn anak calf. He also made a lot of the same sounds newborn anak calves made. "I should have asked. I just thought...I thought that you...that maybe we...uh, we can pretend this never happened. This is all Noct's fault, I swear! He put me up to it! So if you're going to get mad at someone-"

"Prompto," Ignis interrupted, his eyes having finally regained focus and his mind a lot clearer now that he's had time to properly process what had happened a few moments ago. "There's no need to apologize. I was just surprised, that's all."

Prompto dared to scoot right back over to his previous spot. "You're not mad?"

"On the contrary," Ignis corrected, as he reached over to push Prompto's glasses back up to where they should be. "I'm thrilled."

Prompto exhaled loudly. "Wow, okay. Phew. 'Cause if it wasn't, uh, obvious, I kinda like you? A lot?"

"And I, you," Ignis replied, and they sat quietly for a bit, feeling the warmth of the morning sun as it filtered in through the window.

"So, what happens now?" Prompto asked once the novelty had worn off and the silence started becoming awkward. "Where do we go from here?"

"Personally, I would like to have a relationship with you."

"You could just say you want to date or be boyfriends," Prompto laughed. "But you wouldn't be you if you weren't weird like that."

On the other side of the room, Noctis stirred and sat up. He muttered something about sunlight and looked over to Prompto's bed with bleary eyes. He squinted, as if he were trying to make sense of what he was seeing. The sight of Prompto wearing glasses and Ignis not wearing his was simply too much for his morning brain to take in.

"I must be dreaming," he declared, then fell face first back into his pillow.

* * *

Much to Noctis' confusion, he was not dreaming and he couldn't help but stare at both Ignis and Prompto's faces and at one point, demanded to know who they were and what they had done with his friends as Gladiolus watched, amused. With reluctant goodbyes, the three of them piled into the Regalia and drove west, away from Cape Caem and its sanctuary of peace.

As usual, the roads by the sea were wild and windy and none of them could keep their hair in place. Ignis didn't particularly mind: outside of that, the road was pleasant, its scenery beautiful. Even though he was driving, he would occasionally look out the driver's side at the ocean, its waters a beautiful shade of deep blue, a color that was made even lovelier through the tinted lenses of the sunglasses he was wearing. Beside him, Prompto was busy marveling at the land to the right, a sight that was also stunning in its own right. He leaned a bit over the edge of the car to take pictures and every time Ignis reprimanded him for it. In the back, Noctis tried to take in all the sights, but the sound of the wind rushing by was like a lullaby to him and he continuously tried to fight off sleep until eventually succumbing to his nature.

"Why didn't we ever go on a road trip before?" Prompto asked, closing his eyes and taking in the sea breeze. "I lived in Insomnia my whole life. I'd never been outside of the city before and I never felt the need to leave. But look what I've been missing!"

"Insomnia provides everything a person could want to live comfortably," Ignis said. "There are resources to go around, little economic or political strife for the average citizen, and there's always something new and exciting happening in the city."

Or, that's how it was when they left it. Ignis didn't know how it was under Niflheim's control, and unfortunately, he had a pretty good guess.

The outer regions were much different from what he knew from Insomnia. Everything was slower. Quieter. Life was a lot less hectic and it felt like the days blended together sometimes. It gave Ignis something of a liberating feeling, out in the open where he can simply just drive and not have to worry about reading reports or writing correspondence letters or hurrying out of one meeting into another on the other side of the Citadel. Out in the countryside, he didn't have to deal with any of that. No supervising scores of underlings or navigating the minefield of relations between nobility.

Out in the countryside, his only duty was to serve and protect Noctis, and despite the prince's ineptitude at anything that wasn't fishing or fighting, it was an easier and far more pleasant job than his countless duties in the Citadel. One unexpected benefit from this whole situation was that Ignis could have time for himself to do what he pleased. Time to do things for himself rather than for his king and his country and remember that he was a person beyond his training and his role. He could indulge in his hobbies more and have friendships that extended beyond the usual coworker relationship.

He glanced at Prompto and thought maybe he could have even more than friendship.

Prompto caught Ignis watching him and smiled, saying Ignis looked good in sunglasses.

Maybe he'd wear them more in the future.

* * *

The first time they got into a fight with local wildlife, it was very nearly a disaster. The lack of Gladiolus changed everything. He wasn't there to be the usual commanding battlefield presence he always was, plowing through enemies and shrugging off powerful hits. He wasn't there whenever they ran into a situation where pounds of pure muscle would have solved a problem in short order. He wasn't there to give the others the extra boosts in power they needed and all of them began to sorely miss being literally thrown, launched, and swung around by him. By the end, Noctis had more cuts and bruises than he could count, Prompto could barely lift his arms, and Ignis himself was limping slightly.

They used more curatives than Ignis would have liked, and he was concerned about their ability to retrieve the mythril ore if this was how they performed without Gladiolus. They would have to adjust their tactics the best they could, but it was in their best interests to finish their task instead of devoting more time to refining new techniques. They could develop new strategies and practice them back at Cape Caem if Gladiolus still needed more time away from them.

When they reached the Imperial blockade, it opened for them and Ignis really wished it hadn't. Being welcomed into what was now Imperial territory meant only one thing: Ardyn was involved. None of them were even the least bit surprised to find the enigmatic Niflheim High Chancellor waiting for them at Steyliff Grove. What _did_ surprise them, however, was the presence of the dragoon mercenary they had scuffled with less than a week before. They were introduced properly - Aranea Highwind was her name, and Ardyn had paid a very considerable sum for her to escort them into the ruins, pretending they were new recruits for the Niflheim army reporting for training.

Ignis recalled that Highwind was the name of what was widely considered the line of the most powerful and talented dragoons in the world. In that case, it made perfect sense that she was able to fend them off. In a way, it was an honor to be able to cross lances with someone of such a legendary family lineage. In another way, she made him feel subpar in his own skill with polearms despite the fact that he was fairly confident he was still one of the best lancers alive.

"Weren't there four of you?" Aranea asked as they went down five flights of stairs. "Where's the big one that doesn't wear a shirt?"

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other, unsure what to tell her. It was Ignis that came up with a reply.

"He has personal matters to attend to."

Aranea turned out to be quite different from her fellow Niflheim officers. For one, she was actually pleasant company. She was a bit rough around the edges, but she was quick witted, a wonderful conversationalist, treated them all respectfully, and never looked down on them for either their skills or their allegiances. She spoke freely of what she knew of the situation with Niflheim. They were committing horrendous atrocities, rounding up daemons and using them for weapons experimentation. Magitek troopers were infused with daemonic energies. Even as a mercenary, Aranea proved herself as a warrior of honor and expressed an intent to leave the Niflheim army. Most likely after she had drained them of as much gil as she could.

Ignis hoped she bled them dry.

Even with Aranea accompanying them, traversing the grove was difficult and would take them more than a single day. Although he had nothing confirming it, they were so old that Ignis figured they must have dated back to the days of Solheim, the great global empire of old that Niflheim was foolishly attempting to emulate and surpass. After they liberated their country, Ignis would see to having the ruins properly studied by a team of the best archaeologists and Solheim historians as soon as possible. The place was crumbling beneath their feet and while it didn't look like it would collapse entirely upon itself, there was potential treasure troves of knowledge that could still be lost.

By the time they were forced to return to the surface, they had mapped much of the ruins and cleared out as many daemons as they could along the way. They spent the night not in camp, but in Aranea's personal red dropship, which was a good thing for its onboard amenities like a kitchen, shower, and climate control, but bad thing because having magitek troopers stare at them the entire time was beyond unsettling.

"I know," Aranea said in sympathy as she saw their discomfort. "They creep me out too. And no, you don't get used to it."

"I'd sooner take camp over this," Noctis grumbled.

Ignis couldn't bring himself to tell him to be grateful, because he would have preferred camp as well. He cooked them all dinner: the finest cuts of garula sirloin that they had. Only after had he served it did he realize that he had chosen one of Gladiolus' favorite foods. He was certain Gladiolus would like Aranea and it was both a shame and a relief that they weren't able to meet under a friendly setting like this.

"You cook like this every day?" Aranea asked him as she finished the first bite of her meal. "If so, I might consider switching sides."

"Lucis would be grateful to have you," Ignis said with a bow. "Although I don't believe our coffers can match those of the Empire."

"Yeah, your royal treasury is kind of what they're using to pay me right now."

Ignis suppressed a twitch of rage. "Then I could argue we are technically already paying you."

"Nice try," Aranea scoffed, then reached over to tap Ignis on the nose with a fingertip. "You boys are cute and you in particular are quite the gentleman, but I don't break policy. I only work for those who can afford to pay me."

Ignis drew back, feeling flustered. "I admire your dedication to following the protocol for your job." Such was the way of the mercenary. Gil was their god, and they demanded to be paid what they were worth.

"But," Aranea said, tapping her plate of food with her knife thoughtfully. "if it wasn't work, I could probably lend a hand."

"As a free agent volunteering her time? It would do wonders for your resume."

"Exactly," Aranea smirked, resting her head on her hand. "Business isn't always about getting paid, you know."

"Either way," Ignis said, refilling Aranea's half empty drink. "Do feel free to say hello to us if we happen to be in the same area."

"Will you cook for me if I do?"

"If you want."

"Then I'll be sure to."

The next night, they were back inside Steyliff and travel was much faster now that they had trimmed the daemon population considerably and knew how to better navigate the area. They reached the bottom and slew the only creature in the entire place that wasn't a daemon. Aranea in particular seemed to enjoy the fight. Most of the ruins was cramped corridors, meaning that she couldn't make use of the full array of her abilities. The fact that she remained a powerful force even while in an environment that constrained her was only a testament to her power.

But the bottom of the ruins was a wide arena with a high ceiling made of water, meaning she had much more freedom. And yet, Ignis knew she was still restricted, for he saw her jump at least twice as high when they fought her back in the Imperial base. She was fascinating to watch, leaping high into the air with her powerful legs as Noctis would warp to try to keep up with her. Prompto took aim and sniped at the beast's wings to try to bring it back down and Ignis himself did what he could, which was mainly support, directions, and throwing daggers whenever the monster took to the air.

It was nearly morning by the time they emerged, mythril ore in hand.

* * *

Aranea dropped them off at Lestallum as it turned out, ore needed to be refined before it could be used. Cindy had arranged for a friend of hers who worked at the EXINERIS power plant to take care of that task. Holly was her name, but before she could do the work for them, it turned out that the power plant had a bit of a problem. A big problem. A daemon infestation, and they only had one more protective suit to let someone in. Noctis volunteered to go and Ignis allowed it even though he was reluctant. Noctis was the most well rounded of the three of them and the one who would perform best under the circumstances.

Plus, he had to let Noctis do things by himself sometimes. It was one thing to constantly harp on the prince to be more independent. It was another to actually allow him to be. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ignis knew he was at least partially to blame for Noctis' lack of responsibility and general lack of knowledge about basic life skills.

Ignis watched the power plant gate even well after Noctis was out of sight.

"He'll be fine," Prompto said, but his face was also full of worry. "If there's one thing Noct can do, it's fight. And fish, but yeah. Fighting."

Ignis' phone buzzed using the generic message tone and vibration pattern he had set and he checked his phone, desperate for something that could distract him from the fact that Noctis was inside a power plant facing daemons with only an unknown hunter for company. It was from a new contact that he hadn't yet assigned a custom combination to. He didn't think he'd be contacted this soon.

> **Aranea:** Hope you guys are doing well
> 
> **Aranea:** If you want, I can teach you some tricks to using spears
> 
> **Aranea:** Think of it as payment for cooking all of the meals
> 
> **Aranea:** Do yourself a favor and never eat Imperial rations

Ignis didn't realize until about thirty seconds later that Prompto was reading over his shoulder.

"Dude, Aranea gave you her number?"

"We did hit it off quite well during our short time together," Ignis said as he typed out a reply.

"I noticed," Prompto replied, tersely.

Ignis put down his phone. "Are you upset?"

"Maybe."

"Prompto," Ignis said as he reached over to run his fingers over Prompto's knuckles. "Aranea is an absolutely stunning woman, but I only think of her as a friend. There's only one person I'm interested in romantically, and he just happens to be right here next to me."

Prompto groaned. "That shouldn't have worked as well as it did."

"It's because I'm special."

Prompto elbowed him.

* * *

Much to their happy surprise, the mystery hunter Holly had asked to go into the power plant turned out to be none other than Gladiolus, who was sporting not one, but two new scars on his body. There were lots of words and gestures exchanged between them, from hugs to friendly punches in the arm. Time seemed to fly by as before they knew it, Holly was already holding out the refined mythril to them.

They decided to celebrate their collective successes and reunion by spending a couple days in Lestallum. Ignis was the only one who had the presence of mind to text Iris to let her know that they were fine, her brother was fine, and that they'd be back with the mythril. Eventually. No sooner had he sent the last text, he had Gladiolus' massive arm around his neck and found himself being dragged off to one of Lestallum's most famous restaurants.

The spending limit, according to Noctis, was "unlimited" and they ordered the best and most expensive food and drinks. Ignis decided that this was an occasion worthy enough of reckless spending, although he did complain once or twice about how while everything was, indeed, delicious and well made, it was overpriced.

"It's part of the experience, Specs," Noctis sighed. "How else are we going to indulge in a night of partying in Lestallum?"

"A smaller, less famous place would have fare of similar or better quality for lower prices, less people, and shorter wait times," Ignis argued, a half empty glass of imported Tenebraean wine in his hand.

Two more glasses of wine later, however, Ignis stopped caring about that and sat quietly at the table, enjoying the feeling of mild drunkenness, which was, in his opinion, the best state of drunkenness. Enough to be fun, but not enough for him to make decisions that he would regret and possibly fail to remember the next morning.

"Iggy," Prompto said, putting down his own finished glass and past the point of "mildly drunk." "What do you want to do when we get to Altissia?"

"There were a few landmarks I wanted to visit, but other than that, I'm open to suggestions."

"I wanna do the same thing we did here," Prompto said, lifting an arm and doing a sweeping motion. He had to pause for a few seconds, as he had nearly teetered out of his chair. "Just go around and see what we can find. Just you and me. All day."

"You want to get lost again," Ignis translated, and Prompto nodded.

"It'll be romantic," Prompto insisted, pouring himself another glass of wine before grabbing Ignis' arm.

"I can't argue with sound reasoning like that," Ignis gave a mock sigh as Prompto moved his seat closer.

Gladiolus leaned over to Noctis. "They know we're right here and that we can hear everything they're saying, yeah?"

"Shh," Noctis hissed. He had his phone in his hand and the camera set to record.

* * *

The next morning, Ignis woke up late. How late, he didn't know, as the idea of looking at a clock seemed like too difficult of a task for him. The only thing he did know was that sunlight was peeking through the curtains, and that sunrise must have been a while ago. He sat up a bit too fast, and the world swayed in protest. He put a hand to his forehead then pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to remember how many drinks he had the previous night.

Three? Four? He hoped it wasn't five.

Beside him, Prompto slept peacefully and Ignis was thankful that they were both still fully dressed. Noctis and Gladiolus were still out cold. The responsible thing for him to do would be to get up, splash some water on his face, and do something productive like read the morning newspaper then head out to the market to see if there was anything worth buying.

He went back to sleep.

Ignis woke up again when Prompto began to stir. He sat up for the second time that morning and it went remarkably better than his first attempt.

"Ignis," Prompto's voice said, heavy with sleep. "what happened last night?"

"I got mildly intoxicated. You got more than mildly intoxicated. We made plans for a date in Altissia right in front of Noct and Gladio. I think Noct recorded it on his phone."

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say about that?"

Prompto sat up. "It is. I don't want to hide anything from them. There's nothing for us to hide. Besides, Noct already knew I liked you and Gladio probably figured it out on his own."

"He is quite the romance enthusiast."

"I think that's why he flirts all the time with people. He just wants to find that special someone."

"Interesting theory," Ignis said as finally, he got out of bed, finding his glasses and putting them on, noticing a smear on one of the lenses. He frowned and procured a bottle of cleaning solution and a glasses cleaning cloth to wipe them clean. "You sound like you're still tired. Go back to sleep and I'll wake you when it's time for lunch." Normally, Ignis wasn't one for skipping meals, but he was feeling lethargic, Prompto was obviously in need of more rest, and he was certain that both Noctis and Gladiolus were hungover. Breakfast could be ignored.

Prompto didn't need to be told twice and immediately settled back down and made himself comfortable, falling back asleep in mere minutes as Ignis washed his face in the bathroom, ran a hand through his hair, and changed into a clean set of clothes. Now alone, he thought about himself and Prompto, about the shift in the relationship between them that was entirely new, yet felt comfortable and familiar.

It was a huge weight off his shoulders to not have to keep his feelings in check. To not have to keep himself under control all the time and hide himself away from the world and more importantly, the people he cared about.

Prompto seemed happy. Noctis and Gladiolus seemed fine with it. So why shouldn't he be?

His thoughts were interrupted by a pounding on the bathroom door.

"Iggy, hurry up and finish whatever the hell you're doing in there!" Gladiolus' voice boomed. "Some of us _don't_ have elaborate beauty routines and gotta piss!"

* * *

At last, they were boarding a boat. At last, they were sailing to Altissia.

At last, they were leaving their beloved country behind.

It was a trip long overdue. Several months overdue. The four of them delivered the mythril ore to Cid, but found themselves not quite willing to depart just yet. There were still friends to check up on. Royal Tombs to find. They spent another month in Lucis, sweeping the land one last time. They excavated Royal Tombs, found lost dog tags, searched for gemstones, captured frogs, hunted countless monsters, and more.

Ignis didn't know if they had been thorough, or if they were stalling.

"It feels wrong," Noctis said, sitting in a corner of the boat. "the country's still in shambles and I'm just running away to Altissia."

"It's not running away," Ignis said, trying to reassure him. "You may not realize it, but you've done a lot for the people already."

"I haven't done enough!"

Ignis shook his head. "You could run around the country for the rest of your life doing nothing but help everyone you meet along the way, and it still wouldn't feel like it's enough. For now, we need to get to Altissia and meet with Lady Lunafreya."

"And do what!?" Noctis demanded, standing up so quickly the boat rocked. "Lead the Empire straight to her?"

"The Empire likely already knows-"

"No, Ignis, let me finish! What am I supposed to do when I see her? What am I supposed to say? Tell her to marry me as a symbol of some bogus peace and put her in even more danger than she already is? Drag her across the world with us?"

"I..." Ignis trailed off, as he didn't have an answer. They were just so focused on getting to Altissia, getting to Lady Lunafreya that they had given exactly zero thought on what happened afterward. It was originally his role to see Noctis to Altissia and make sure he married the Oracle. But now? He wasn't sure. "...I thought you wanted to see Lady Lunafreya."

"I do," Noctis admitted, voice quiet and unsteady like the waves of the ocean beneath them. "I want to see her. I want to see Luna _so much_."

Such was the answer he was expecting. Ignis didn't pretend to understand the relationship between Noctis and Lady Lunafreya. He didn't pretend to understand his own relationships, much less the ones between other people. But he did know this: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Oracle and Princess of Tenebrae, was somebody important to Noctis and he was someone dear to her. There was nothing but warmth and love between them.

What kind of love, he didn't know.

What kind it was didn't matter.

Ignis used to hate not knowing things, but these days, he's more comfortable with it.

Noctis spoke again, so quietly he almost didn't hear it. "I don't want to hurt her, Ignis. If something happens to Luna because of me, I...I..."

"You can't let that fear stop you," Ignis said. "You won't be happy until you see her and if I might be so bold to guess, I believe she wants to see you too. We won't make you or her do anything you feel isn't right. We'll all sit down and discuss our next steps together."

"That..." Noctis said, as the boat began to pull away from dock. "...that sounds nice, actually."

Iris and Talcott came to bid them goodbye from the dock and they all waved back enthusiastically, shouting promises to text and call. Tears welled in Gladiolus' eyes and everyone was polite enough to not point them out. The boat began to pick up speed and Ignis closed his eyes to enjoy the sea breeze against his face. It reminded him of the drive out from Cape Caem, as he, Noctis, and Prompto headed north towards the Vesperpool.

That was a little over a month ago, yet it felt like it happened in a past lifetime.

Ignis enjoyed the silence, watching the land of Lucis, the country he loved and called home, grow smaller and smaller in the distance and the seemingly endless blue of the ocean grow larger and larger. There was nothing to see but water and sky, yet the sights were somehow enchanting.

"Hey."

"Yes, Noct?"

Noctis stood up, looking much better than he had when they first set sail. He put a hand on on Ignis' shoulder.

"I'm happy for you."

"I have no idea what you're referring to." The reply was instinctive, the product of learned behaviors he was trying to break free of.

"I think you do," Noctis smiled, then looked across the boat to where Prompto was chatting with Gladiolus. Prompto caught them watching him and gave them a wave, to which Noctis waved back. "You two have fun in Altissia. I'm ordering it."

"Duly noted, Your Highness."


	9. The Last Smile

"What's Altissia like?" Prompto had asked every single person on the boat.

"Like nothing you've ever seen before," replied every single damn person on the boat.

Real helpful. Prompto had seen pictures of the city before on television, the internet, and in the travel books he had read before leaving Insomnia. He could bring up photos on his phone at any time. He knew what to expect. Large canals in lieu of streets. Pristine, beautiful buildings made of stone and full of balconies. Bridges and walkways as far as the eye could see.

"I don't know how else to describe it to you," Gladiolus huffed as Prompto tried to press him for a less vague answer. "Altissia is completely different from any other place in the world. There's no comparison. It's just so...Altissia."

"You know Altissia is a noun, right?" Prompto frowned. "You can't just say "Altissia" and expect it to convey any sort of useful information."

"Altissian, then." Gladiolus corrected, crossing his arms. "Happy now?"

"No."

"Too bad."

Prompto threw his hands up into the air in frustration. He just wanted to know what to expect when they landed! Was that too much to ask? Apparently it was. Not even Ignis could give him a helpful answer. "Okay. Fine. I give up. Altissia it is. Altissia is Altissia. This has been a most productive conversation, Gladio. I'm glad we had it. I feel so very educated right now. Good talk."

Gladiolus couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Titan's perfectly sculpted left asscheek, Prompto, why do you have to be so dramatic all the time?" He didn't wait for an answer as he turned his back to walk away. As far as away as he could on a speedboat, at any rate. "No wonder Iggy likes you. You're two of a kind."

"You know what? I am going to take that as a compliment," Prompto scoffed, turning his nose into the air.

"You do that," Gladiolus said. "I'm going to read." As if to prove a point, he lay down on his side on an entire row of seats lounging like the world's buffest cactaur, propping himself up with one elbow, his chosen reading material open on the cushion below him. Prompto still had no idea what was so great about those books. It was all smutty garbage marketed towards middle aged mothers. How did Gladiolus even get this hobby in the first place? On second thought, he didn't want to know.

Altissia came into view a few hours later and Prompto leaned over the side of the boat in order to get a better view.

"Wow."

He was left speechless as they pulled into the entrance canal. They weren't even in the city proper yet and he was already blown away. Prompto could see the outlines of Altissia's unique architecture - nothing like Insomnia, Lestallum, or the numerous small towns and rest stops they drove through back in Lucis. Most of the buildings were made of some kind of white stone and the water was a gorgeous shade of blue. Not the playful aquamarine of Galdin Quay or the dark navy of Cape Caem, but a deep sapphire, the same shade as the open ocean.

They passed inspection and moved further in, giving Prompto a closer view of Altissia's outer streets, if they could be called that. They were more like tiled sidewalks along the canals, too narrow to support any cars, but large enough for a modest amount of foot traffic. He wondered what the inner streets that were away from the water were like. Maybe like Lestallum, narrow and winding? He hoped so.

The boat docked and they disembarked one by one. First it was Cid, then Noctis, then Gladiolus, then Ignis, and finally, it was Prompto's turn. Ignis was waiting for him and although both of them knew Prompto didn't need it, he bowed and held out a hand to him to help him step off safely.

Prompto took it. Gladiolus smirked. Noctis gave a thumbs up.

"Welcome to Altissia," Ignis smiled, using his free hand to gesture grandly at the entirely unremarkable landing dock. "The Jewel of Accordo."

Then the realization that he was in Altissia hit Prompto all over again as he stepped off. They were just in a small area used to process immigration, _but still_. He was in Altissia.

And somewhere in this city was Lady Lunafreya, the one person he's always wanted to meet. Lunafreya, the one who urged him to grab hold of his life and steer it. It was no exaggeration to say that Prompto practically owed her his life.

Without her, he would have never had the courage to befriend Noctis and make himself the person he wanted to be. Without her, he wouldn't have met so many wonderful people. Would have never met Ignis.

He's waited years to meet her. Dreamed about it. Not in a creepy way, of course, but he'd always imagined her to be sweet and gentle, radiating a comforting warmth that brought peace to even the most troubled soul. In his dreams, he'd say hello and introduce himself. She'd close her eyes, smile, and tilt her head slightly to the right. And she'd thank him for caring for her dog all those years ago. Said dog would worm her way between them and bark happily. He'd show her how far he'd come these past few years and she'd tell him that she was so proud of him.

And then he'd wake up. And there was Noctis poking him in the shoulder telling him it was time to get moving and to stop standing around like an idiot.

They somehow weaseled their way past immigration without telling the officer stationed there who they really were and finally, at last, they were in Altissia proper. Prompto was so overwhelmed by what he was seeing he momentarily forgot to take out his camera for pictures. Ignis watched him, amused.

"What do you think?"

"It's..." Prompto struggled to find the words to describe it. The pictures. The guide book. The travel specials on television. None of them did the place justice. "It's amazing. It's like nothing I've ever seen."

Ignis chuckled. "How would you describe it, then?"

"Like," Prompto put a hand under his chin and closed his eyes in deep thought. "Like...Altissia." Ignis was silent and when he opened his eyes again he could see him silently laughing behind a hand. "Why are you..." Prompto's eyes opened in realization over what he had just said. "Oh, gods _dammit_."

"Now you understand," Ignis said. "This is a city unlike any other."

They met up with Weskham Armaugh, an old close friend of King Regis. They were filled in on the state of the city, which despite its picture perfect appearance, was far from the paradise it appeared to be. Near the tail end of the conversation, they were joined by the First Secretary (what kind of title was _that_ , Prompto wondered), Camelia Claustra, who requested to meet Noctis alone in her office to discuss Lady Lunafreya and the summoning of Leviathan. It all sounded terribly official and even just seeing the dignified woman made Prompto feel like he was in way over his head despite not being part of the planned proceedings at all. The meeting was set to be in two days and Noctis had to bite his tongue to keep himself from demanding it immediately. Noctis was, despite everything, a prince, and he understood that it was the soonest Camelia could do. She had to arrange for a block of time where she would be free, inform relevant parties, and delegate duties to underlings with no notice at all. The fact that she was even granting him an audience and so soon after their unannounced arrival was a miracle.

They checked in at the Leville. The Altissian branch of the Leville, that is, and it made the one in Lestallum look like a cheap motel. Camelia was beyond kind and had arranged for them to have two of the best rooms in the hotel free of charge, which were less like rooms and more like small apartments. The suites were ornately furnished, each one sporting a huge bed, a small kitchen, balconies, sitting areas, and huge bathrooms with double sinks and a _bathtub_.

A person would be able to live there comfortably. But if they could afford the outrageous daily rate, they could just buy a permanent, larger space in the city for cheaper.

They went sightseeing for the rest of the day, and Prompto just could not get enough of Altissia. He leaned over the sides of the gondolas, having to be pulled back in several times. Half of all the buildings they passed caught his eye. When Ignis said he wanted to see "landmarks" in the city, Prompto thought they'd be something along the lines of statues or small buildings. Instead, many of them were gargantuan works of architectural art.

They ate at Weskham's restaurant, Maagho, dining on a selection of fish and pasta dishes. They were rich and filling meals, leaving them all very satisfied by the end. Noctis tried his best to not look anxious, but like Prompto, he wasn't good at hiding his emotions. No one minded too much. There was a lot on his plate (both figurative and literal) and to his credit, Noctis _was_ trying to not be a drag on things.

It was hard for him, especially when they saw Lady Lunafreya's wedding dress on display and the Altissian public whispering about what a shame it was the wedding never happened and how much it would have given them hope. Noctis became oddly silent after that.

The next day, Noctis stayed in the hotel, saying he needed to figure out what he was going to say to Camelia during their meeting. Ignis offered to help, but was refused. Noctis was determined to do this on his own and he said that nobody else should have to spend their Altissian vacation cooped up because of him. He then practically shoved his advisor out the door and locked it behind him.

Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio went out together instead, visiting the shopping district this time around. Unlike Lestallum, Altissia's tourist areas had more than just souvenirs. Designer shops offered the latest and hottest trends in fashion. Small shops offered handcrafted goods and several art shops promoted paintings by both modern and old artists. Gladiolus bought a statue of a moogle as a gift for Iris while Ignis drifted towards an Altissian cookbook.

Prompto discovered gelato. It was ice cream, but better.

When they arrived back at the hotel, they discovered Noctis writing on the complimentary notepad with the complimentary pen, eyes furrowed in determination and hyper focused on his task. He didn't go to bed until hours later.

* * *

Noctis was to meet with Camelia alone. As the King's Shield, Gladiolus couldn't stand for this and eventually worked out a compromise where he'd be allowed to stand outside the First Secretary's office door. Gladiolus wasn't much of a negotiator, but he had learned over the years that sometimes yelling very loudly produced results.

That left Prompto and Ignis alone for the day.

Altissia was a city that was somehow busy and relaxed at the same time. Everywhere Prompto looked, there was something happening. A gondola would drift by or a server was standing outside a café trying to entice passersby to stop for a bite to eat. And yet, all these things happened so slowly. He could easily outpace a gondola with a brisk walking pace. The servers greeted strangers as if they were friends. He and Ignis stopped at a café for Altissian pastries and coffee. Prompto had to marvel at how tiny the cups were and more importantly, how Ignis Scientia, legendary coffee guzzler, didn't seem to mind its miniature size.

"Altissian coffee is incredibly strong," Ignis explained as he lifted the saucer with one hand and drank from the cup with the other like some kind of old fashioned millionaire. "Just a little bit is more than enough for the average person."

With a bit of trepidation, Prompto tried his small cup of coffee and nearly dropped it.

"Wasn't...expecting that," he said, staring down into it like it was some kind of pocket sized liquid powder keg. It was like coffee times ten. He could probably throw it at someone and it would explode just like one of their magical grenades. "Hoo boy, you weren't kidding."

He let Ignis lead them this time as they set about losing their way. It was an easy task. Altissia was full of upper and lower walkways, of countless bridges and a city layout unlike any other. The smell of the sea was persistent no matter where they went, and if Prompto closed his eyes, he could easily pretend that they were still in the ocean, then let his imagination run wild. Wouldn't it be nice if Altissia was some kind of floating city? A city like in the fairy tales he used to read when he was a child.

Then they could just drift away from all of their problems. Just him, Ignis, Noctis, Gladiolus, and Lunafreya, adrift in the sea where they could spend lazily spend every day in the floating wonderland that was Altissia, and spend each night rocked to sleep by Leviathan's gentle waves.

Alas, Altissia was firmly rooted to solid ground.

They stopped for gelato and sat on one of the walkways with an amazing view. Prompto had his treat in one hand and his camera in the other, alternating between snapping pictures and taking bites. Ignis would laugh, and it was real, genuine laughing, not that polite chuckle he usually did, and tell him to finish eating before his gelato melted and also to wash his hands afterward unless he wanted a sticky camera.

"Hey, Iggy," Prompto said. "You've got a little bit of gelato on your face."

"Where?" Ignis asked, both confused and concerned. Prompto figured he was no doubt wondering how this was possible since it's kind of difficult to not notice having a blotch of frozen dessert on one's face and if it was true that he had one, it had some worrying implications.

"Here." Without warning, Prompto leaned up to plant a chaste kiss on the corner of Ignis' mouth, leaving the poor man with a jumble of thoughts that needed a couple of seconds to be sorted out.

"Prompto, did you just-" Ignis cut himself off in midsentence as he finally figured out exactly what had just happened and turned away, unable to look Prompto in the eye out of embarrassment. "I can't believe-" Prompto could only smile as Ignis tripped over his own words before finally setting on: "You are completely and utterly ridiculous."

"I know," Prompto said, finishing his last bite of gelato. He took Ignis' empty cup and dropped them into a nearby trash can. He took Ignis' hand and felt a rush of emotion as Ignis threaded their fingers together. "Let's keep going."

Altissia was full of public art. Every few streets, there was something to see. Statues of historical figures sat on prominent crossroads and elaborate fountains with expertly crafted figures sat in front of important looking buildings. Even the ground itself was art, at one point, they came across a road that was actually a tiled mural depicting Leviathan snaking herself around some large stone planters.

Promopto was in art heaven.

"This dates back like, two hundred years!" he chattered. "It looks like, uh...oh, I know, it's definitely a Veronese, isn't it?"

While Prompto was wracking his brain, Ignis had knelt down to read the plaque beside the tiles. "Correct. It says here this was made by Veronese, one of the great artists of the era."

Prompto gave a fist pump of triumph. "Ha, I knew it!" He reached over to grab Ignis' wrist, pointing to a walkway behind them. "Let's go up there, it's the perfect height and angle for a killer shot of the whole thing!"

* * *

Somehow, they had ended up at the cathedral, quite possibly the second biggest building Prompto had ever seen, the first being the Citadel. Just the entrance itself was huge, and that was before he took in the towers and everything else as well. Prompto tried to count the number of domes on the building, but gave up after he hit seventeen.

"This is where the wedding was supposed to take place," Ignis said quietly, and suddenly the cathedral seemed twice as big as it already was. "The ceremony would have been open to the public and broadcasted live around the entire world. There would be a parade after the ceremony leading to the reception. No expense was going to be spared. Hundreds of important officials were invited. Thousands of sylleblossoms were going to be imported from Tenebrae." They reached the doors of the cathedral and entered.

The inside of the cathedral was open and vast. Prompto kept his voice low and tried to make as little noise as possible, for he felt like even the smallest sound would echo loudly throughout the entire building. Although imagery of all the Astrals were present, it was clear that Leviathan dominated these halls. It wasn't a surprise. She was the patron goddess of Altissia and her image was everywhere in the city.

There was no one to greet them or show them around, so they simply had to appreciate the cathedral on their own, going everywhere that wasn't blocked off to them. The scale of it all made Prompto feel very small, an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things.

Funny how he had seen an Astral with his own two eyes yet it was this building that was only a fraction of Titan's height, filled with art and sculptures that made him feel tiny.

"Do you mind if we stay for a while?" Ignis asked, and Prompto agreed.

They sat in a pew near the front and Ignis seemed transfixed by the altar in front of them. Prompto wondered if the cathedral gave him the same crushing feeling of insignificance it gave him. After a few moments, Ignis reached down into the pocket of the bench in front of them to pull out a red book with golden filigree designs on the cover. A book of hymns. Glancing at the table of contents briefly before flipping through the pages.

"What are you doing?" Prompto asked quietly.

"I'm going to pray to Leviathan."

"Why?" He knew Ignis wasn't religious, even if he could recite some of the ancient sacred words of Astral worship from memory. It was, he had explained, a part of his culture studies. His instructor had drilled the words into him until he knew them by heart.

Ignis continued to flip pages, then frowned before flipping the other direction. Apparently he had missed his target. "I told you before that she is my favorite Astral, and even though I know it's likely pointless, I want to ask her to be kind to Noct and for her to give us her protection." Ignis stopped flipping, having finally found the page he was looking for, then turned his head to look at Prompto. "And thank her for the good things that have happened in my life lately."

He looked back to the altar, to the statues of Leviathan that could be found all over the cathedral's interior, to the stained glass window above everything that depicted the Tidemother in all her glory, then back down to the pages of the book.

There were no priests. There were no worshipers. There was no music. But none of that seemed to bother Ignis as he silently mouthed the words to the hymn on the page, running his fingers across the musical notes as he went.

Prompto reached forward, pulled out another copy of the book of hymns, turned to the same page, and followed along.

* * *

At night, Altissia went from pretty to ethereal. It still had the same high intensity lights used everywhere else to ward off daemons, but it was still dark enough to appreciate what beauty the night had to offer. Prompto could see more stars in Altissia than he could in either Insomnia or Lestallum. He could see almost the same number of stars as he could when they were out in the Lucian countryside. What he lost in star count, he gained in seeing the yellow lights in the windows of buildings.

After stopping at a local restaurant for dinner, they visited a local grocer for ingredients as there was absolutely no way Ignis was going to pass up a chance to get his hands on Altissian ingredients at local prices. Shopping finished, they took a gondola back to the Leville. In their wanderings, they had ended up on the other side of the city, and it would be a long ride back. It suited Prompto just fine. It gave him the opportunity to admire the scenery.

As well as the man sitting next to him.

When they first left Insomnia, Prompto didn't think that he'd be getting himself into a relationship. The most he had dared to hope for was maybe kissing some pretty girl at Noctis' wedding that he'd probably never see again in his life.

Instead, somehow, he had stumbled into getting Ignis Scientia, the world's most capable and handsome man, as his boyfriend. He didn't know if was just lucky, or if he had done something right, or if life decided to give him the opposite of kissing a pretty girl at Noctis' wedding that he'd probably never see again in his life, but he wasn't going to complain. All he knew was it just sort of happened. One night, they were just passing the time talking about pictures and glasses and then they started hanging out for real and then at some point Prompto realized he was _attracted to Ignis_ and the feeling was _mutual_ and here they were.

"Have you been enjoying Altissia, sirs?" the gondolier asked. "She's beautiful, isn't she? You won't find a city more romantic than her in the world."

Prompto had to agree. There was something special about this city. He leaned on Ignis, intending to just enjoy the ride.

"Shall I sing you a song?" The gondolier continued, and without waiting for an answer, he cleared his throat. "Oh when the niiiiight, gets daaaaaark-"

Ignis immediately turned around and glared at the man. "I will double your fare if you stop singing right now."

Instantly, the gondolier shut his mouth and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of water moving all around them. Satisfied, Ignis turned back around to get comfortable in his seat and allowed Prompto to get comfortable on him again.

"I hate that song," he growled. "It's rubbish, yet everyone insists on playing it everywhere we go."

"Thank the gods," Prompto muttered into his shoulder. "I can't stand it either."

* * *

They ran into Gladiolus in the hotel lobby as the man was on his way out. He told them that they were going to do the ritual to summon Leviathan the next day and that it was basically guaranteed that the Empire was going to try to pull the same stunt they did at Titan and try to kill her. The plan was to help the citizens of the city evacuate while Noctis forged the covenant, then try to drive out the Imperials. All else failed, they were going to grab Lunafreya and run. Somewhere. Anywhere. It didn't matter which direction they went; the Empire's tendrils reached into every corner of the world and the only reason they've managed to survive this long was the fact that they've kept running.

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was the only one they had. The only one possible.

Prompto asked Gladiolus where he was going. He got an evasive non answer as a reply. He figured the guy was going to go out to go hit on people like he usually did.

Noctis was almost certainly asleep after a grueling day of diplomacy, so Prompto and Ignis decided to leave him be and return to their own room. It was still early in the evening and they decided to crack open a wine bottle that they had bought, pouring it into two glasses, and stand on the suite's balcony, taking in one of the best views of the city.

Boats floated lazily by in the canals. Pedestrians walked leisurely through the streets. Faintly, Prompto could hear the song of a street performer down below them, strumming a guitar as he serenaded passersby. Best of all, the sea breeze would rush by them, soothing them from a long day of walking and gently tousling their hair.

Thoughts of the Empire, of Leviathan, of the chaos that was to happen the next day felt far away to Prompto as he stood on the balcony surrounded by the Altissian night with only Ignis and the faint singing of the street performer to keep him company.

"Today was something else," he said to Ignis as he continued to gaze at the Altissian skyline. "Amazing." If he wasn't sure he'd die of embarrassment immediately afterward, Prompto would have used the word _magical._

"It was," Ignis agreed, and after a moment, put his glass of wine down on a small table. "Prompto?"

Prompto barely had time to turn and look up at him as Ignis closed the distance between them, using one hand to gently brush aside Prompto's now messy hair before leaning down to kiss his lips.

It was a gentle, light kiss, yet filled with powerful feelings and meanings that Ignis wanted to convey to him but couldn't find the words for. Prompto returned it, reaching up to cup Ignis' cheek. Part of him wanted more. It wanted a more forceful, passionate kiss that lead to roaming hands exploring both their bodies, the shedding of clothes, and taking full advantage of the huge bed they had been provided with.

Instead, Prompto listened to the other part of him, the one that said that this moment was perfect the way it was, like a scene from one of the fairy tales his mother used to tell him at bedtime when he was a child. The very last one before the end of the story and the beginning of happily ever after.

The next morning, he awoke in the early hours to himself using Ignis' chest as a pillow. Today was the day. The day when Lady Lunafreya would wake Leviathan and the pure chaos that was to follow. But that was in a few hours and as Prompto shifted position, Ignis slowly opened his eyes and uttered a lazy "good morning" to him.

"Morning," Prompto returned, and gave him a wonderful smile full of purity and affection.


	10. Melody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music and words.
> 
> Truth and fiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we come to the FUN parts!
> 
> hahahahaha
> 
> i'm sorry
> 
> somebody save me from myself

When Ignis awoke, he saw nothing. He was trapped in a lonely darkness from which there was no escape and he had naught but his own thoughts for company. He knew he was lying in a bed, on his back and he could hear the sound of medical machinery. Was he in a hospital? He must be. He tried moving, only to find his body doesn't want to cooperate and it seemed to be quite fine with where it was.

"Ignis?" That was Prompto's voice, quiet and meek. "Ignis, are you awake?"

"Prompto?" he asked, and his voice was hoarse, his throat dry. He felt a glass being pressed against his chapped lips and tilted slightly, and Ignis drank a few gulps of blessed, blessed water. "Prompto," he calls again, voice much clearer the second time around. "I can't see anything."

"Your eyes were badly damaged," Prompto said. "And your face is pretty messed up too. There's scars everywhere. Whatever happened to you out there, it got you good."

Ignis didn't care to shed any light on the identity of "whatever" it was that had done this to him.

"But you're alive," Prompto continued. "At least there's that."

 _Am I really?_ he wanted to ask, but he just didn't have the heart to. For all Ignis knew, this was just some kind of dying dream he was having as he's lying on the cold stone floor, covered in dirt and blood and rain as he slowly expires.

A hand touched his. Prompto's hand. And then Ignis knew he wasn't dreaming. It simply could not be one. The touch and the feelings it sparked were too intense to be the product of his imagination. It was too real to be a fantasy of the dreaming dead.

He wasn't dead, but he didn't feel alive either.

"The doctors said that you're not going to be able to see for a while," Prompto said. "And that it might get better after a few weeks."

"Might," Ignis parroted, picking up on the single key word. "What are the chances of that happening?"

Prompto didn't answer at first, leaving them in an uncomfortable silence. "They didn't say."

Ignis did not appreciate being lied to.

He changed the subject to a far more important topic. "What of Noct?"

"Asleep. Gladio's with him. Noct's fine," Prompto answered, his voice low. "Leviathan gave him her approval."

"You don't sound happy about it," Ignis noticed.

"Because..." Prompto's voice cracked. "Lady Lunafreya is dead. Ardyn stabbed her and she used the last of her strength to protect Noct. They never found her body."

Lunafreya, dead?

The silence was back, save for the sound of the medical machines he was probably hooked up to. It was intense. Overbearing. He couldn't stand it. If Ignis wasn't feeling so weak, he would grasp that silence by the throat in his own two hands and choke it to death. Choke it and pretend it was Ardyn. Maybe that would make him feel alive. For just a moment.

"May she rest in peace," Ignis said. This shouldn't have happened. How were they going to explain this to Noctis? "I'm sorry, Prompto. I know how much you wanted to meet her."

"Don't apologize," Prompto said. "That's not important. It's just a little bit of disappointment."

Prompto was lying to him again, but Ignis decided not to say anything about it.

"It's nothing compared to the fact that she died. Nothing compared to what happened to the people here. Nothing compared to how Noct's going to be devastated when he wakes up. Nothing compared to what you're going through."

 _But it's pain all the same,_ Ignis thought.

* * *

The doctors let Ignis leave after a week. He found out the lenses of his glasses had been broken during Leviathan's trial and they were replaced with specialized lenses to protect his damaged eyes. They also gave him a cane and taught him how to use it, then told him he could leave once they were satisfied with his progress.

Prompto led him through Altissia and even blinded, he could tell that the city was not what it used to be. There were almost no people about. No café employees trying to drum up business and no tourists marveling at the city. There were almost no sounds at all aside from the waves and the occasional sea bird's cry.

This only made the sounds he did hear all the more frightening. He would squeeze Prompto's hand when workers moved debris. When the wind rustled a loose newspaper. When a cat meowed. Most sounds made him jump and every time, Prompto would squeeze his hand back.

"It's okay, Iggy. I'm here for you."

Ignis knew he meant well, but that didn't change the fact that he was clinging to Prompto like a child. It was humiliating, finding himself scared of everything and having to rely on Prompto just to walk down a street. The stone felt uneven under his feet and he tripped several times, having to be helped back up.

How was he going to survive like this?

He heard a familiar sound, the street performer from the night before strumming his guitar and singing loudly. This time, he was not playing love songs, but traditional Accordan music. Prompto said there was a small crowd gathered around him.

Prompto warned him of steps as they reached the Leville, then helped him up the stairs and into the room where Noctis slept.

"You're back," he heard Gladiolus' voice say.

"I am," Ignis responded. He let go of Prompto's arm and found his way to a chair, managing to sit down without embarrassing himself. "How is Noct?"

Noctis was still out cold. Bruised with a few cuts, but with no major injuries thanks to Lunafreya's sacrifice.

He heard Gladiolus shift uncomfortably before speaking. "So, you're..."

"Blind, yes," Ignis finished, voice low.

"Can it be fixed?"

"If it could," Ignis snarled. "we would not be having this conversation."

There's the scuffling of feet and Ignis heard what he assumed to be Prompto hurrying past him to put himself between them. "The doctors said his sight might return!"

"Might," Gladiolus said, in almost the same way Ignis had said it a week earlier. "And what if it doesn't?"

Ignis frowned. "Then I will deal with it." It was the only thing he could do. Simply wishing wouldn't make his eyesight return.

"That's not what I meant," Gladiolus continued. "What I'm trying to ask is what are we-"

Prompto immediately interrupted, stomping forward. "Gladio, stop!"

"Not talking about it isn't going to make it go away!"

"I know, but that doesn't mean we have to talk about this now! Ignis just got discharged today and _this_ is the first thing you say to him!?" There was a distinct tension in the air, so thick that Ignis could probably cut it with one of his daggers. He almost tried it, but instead he sat quietly, one leg crossed over the other with immaculate posture, pretending that his friend and his boyfriend weren't arguing. Weren't arguing over _him_.

A chair moved, and Ignis nearly jumped at the sound. He could almost imagine the scene that was unfolding in front of him. Prompto and Gladiolus staring each other down, teeth bared and neither willing to back off.

"Look, you're not thinking straight, Prompto. I know you're worried about him because he's your boyfriend, but getting emotional-"

"Don't try to make this about me!" Prompto interrupted, raising his voice. "You didn't even ask him how he was, you know, like _normal_ people who _care_ about their friends!"

"That's enough, Prompto!" The arguing came to an abrupt halt as Ignis continued to stare forward, blankly. He could pretend no longer. "I appreciate it, but I don't need you to defend me. Gladio's right. We need to think about our plans going forward."

"But he-"

"It doesn't matter," Ignis said, tightening his grip on his cane, his voice growing soft and his head bowing low. "None of it does. The only thing that matters is Noct."

"That's not true," Prompto said quietly.

But it was. And if Ignis told himself that enough times, maybe he could finallly accept that reality. This was the fate of the Crownsguard, to give everything for the royal family. He should consider himself lucky that he lost only his vision and not his life. Should, but he didn't.

Ignis was prepared to die for Noctis. He wasn't prepared to become useless to him.

They don't teach that in Crownsguard training.

Normal protocol would dictate that Ignis retired from his duties as Noctis' protector. But did protocol even apply anymore when the Crownsguard was all but wiped out? Hell, under normal circumstances, someone would demand he leave his post as advisor as well. There were plenty of people who would have loved to take the job from him. Did protocol apply when the Kingdom of Lucis no longer existed? Or was he just making excuses because he desperately wanted to remain where he was? Because he wanted to stay as not only Noctis' advisor, but also his guardian and his dagger.

He wanted to be selfish.

 _Fuck_ protocol.

"Did you say something, Ignis?" Prompto asked.

Did he say that out loud? No matter, he could recover easily and there would be none the wiser.

"I will stay here with Noct," Ignis said, and it was a statement, a declaration of intent. It told both Prompto and Gladiolus that he wouldn't be swayed from this self-appointed duty. "At least let me do this."

He heard the heavy footfalls of boots, then the loud slamming of the door. Ignis immediately summoned a dagger on instinct before realizing what must have happened: Gladiolus storming out like he always did.

Prompto broke the silence. "I'm getting a drink. Want anything?"

"Water, if you please."

He heard lighter footsteps, then the door opening and closing gently.

* * *

Noctis woke the next day and Ignis was the first to greet him.

"You're hurt," Noctis said softly, his so voice full of worry and concern and other things that made Ignis' heart ache. It was the same voice Prompto used when Ignis first woke up. He couldn't bear to hear it and immediately, Ignis tumbled into talking about everything else so he didn't have to. He told Noctis about Leviathan, the current state of Altissia, the Empire, and Lunafreya's fate.

The despair that infected Noctis' voice after hearing about Lunafreya's death was ten times worse.

"I'll let the others know you're awake," Ignis said, standing up.

In truth, it was just an excuse to leave the room. Noctis said something, but Ignis wasn't listening. It was his duty to remain at Noctis' side, but he had to get away. Away from that forlorn voice that's painful to hear, every word twisting an invisible knife deeper and deeper into his chest. Once he's out the door, Ignis leaned against it and buried his face in his hands.

He wanted to rip his own ears off. His left hand went to his ear and he contemplated actually trying it.

"What's with you?" He heard Gladiolus ask.

"Noct's awake," was all he could say.

Gladiolus nudged him away from the door and enter it, closing it behind him. He heard Prompto turning the door knob.

But the door didn't open.

"Ignis, are you okay?" Prompto asked.

"I'm fine," he answered, and he knew Prompto didn't believe him.

"Cut that out," Prompto said, and Ignis heard the sound of the doorknob snapping back into place as Prompto let it go. "You're not okay. There's no way you are."

"I'm managing."

There was a sudden thumping sound and Ignis jerked back, hitting the wall behind him.

"You call that managing? Freaking out every time you hear a noise? Don't lie to me, Ignis," Prompto snorted. The thump sounded again. "That's me, by the way. Did Noct say something to you?"

Ignis relented, leaning back against the wall, bending his knees, and fighting an incredible urge to just curl up into a ball. "Yes."

"Was it something bad?"

"If only. He was nothing but kind. It was," he didn't know how to describe it. The way he's been growing more sensitive to sound and picking up on subtle nuances and differences that he couldn't before. "it was _how_ he said it. I've never heard him speak like that before. He sounds so broken, Prompto."

Why couldn't Noctis be angry? Like how he was all those months ago when they first learned of Insomnia's fall. Ignis could deal with angry Noctis. Angry Noctis yelled a lot, refused to eat his vegetables, said a lot of things he didn't mean, and if applicable, would thrash a bunch of magitek troopers until he felt better. Angry Noctis would take out his anger on everyone around him then they'd all go back to normal.

This broken Noctis, however, Ignis didn't know what to do with him. He wasn't sure if anything _could_ be done with him. How could he care for Noctis when he didn't know what to do?

How could he serve Noctis without his vision?

Ignis knew he must somehow. Now, more than ever, Noctis needed support and help. He would continue to need it in the coming weeks. Months. Maybe even years. And with Lunafreya's passing into the next world, the already small number of people he would be able to turn to was dwindling rapidly.

Prompto placed a hand on Ignis' shoulder, coaxing him off the wall and back towards their own room, and all Ignis could think about was how he needed to be there for Noctis and how he wasn't with him at that moment, because he couldn't be. And worse, Prompto needed to be there for Noctis too, but here Ignis was, greedily taking up that time and attention. He sat on the bed, telling himself he needed to pull himself together. Noctis was suffering, and Ignis must help him. Fix the situation somehow.

 _Save him,_ he told himself, but that thought was immediately followed by another. A cold, hard truth that he was struggling to accept.

_You can't._

* * *

A day passed. Nothing improved.

A knock sounded on the hotel door before it opened. The footsteps were light, and by now, Ignis had learned that meant it was Prompto. Gladiolus' footsteps were heavy. Noctis barely left his own room and when he did, his footfalls were slightly uneven and tended to lightly stomp as he walked.

"I brought breakfast," Prompto said, and Ignis heard the sound of something being put on the table. The food, most likely. "How are you today?"

"Awful."

Prompto moved to another part of the room. "Which, paradoxically, means you're getting better." He started fiddling with something and Ignis had no idea what it was. "It means you've stopped lying."

"And I'd appreciate it if _you_ stopped lying to me," Ignis responded, and he knew his words made Prompto pause. "I'm going to ask you again and I want an honest answer this time: what is the likelihood of me recovering my eyesight?"

There was silence. And then: "Very small. The doctors said that the odds of it happening were in the single digits range."

"Why did you lie and say you didn't know?"

Ignis heard the chair in front of him move and the sound of Prompto sitting down in it. When he spoke, he sounded defeated. "Because I didn't want tell you."

He knew there was more to it. Lying by omission was still lying.

"The real reason, Prompto."

Prompto shifted. He took a deep breath. "Because it makes it easier to believe you'll get better." Ignis heard a sigh. "It's really hard to see you like this, Iggy. I'm not going to say it's anywhere near as hard as you have it, but, I see you afraid and struggling. I want to help you so much. I want to fix everything, like how I can fix broken computers and machinery. But I can't fix your eyes. So all I can do is hope that you'll recover, and that's easier to do if I pretend I don't know the chances. You understand?"

Ignis did understand. He understood too well.

"Anyway, I got you something," Prompto said, putting cheer back into his voice and standing up again. "Hold out your hand."

Ignis did and something was placed into it. It was small and rectangular, sort of like a phone, but smaller. It was an electronic of some kind with a screen and buttons and a wire coming out of one side. He put down his cane and ran his other hand along the wire, which split into two near the end with a knob on each end. Earbuds.

"It's an MP3 player," Prompto explained. "You've been really jumpy lately because you keep hearing things and you don't know what they are at first and it's gotta be hard. If everything's becoming too much for you, just use this for a while. Tune out and relax for a bit."

Prompto showed him how to use it, how to navigate the player without having to see the screen. The player made a soft click sound whenever it scrolled, making it easier to discern what setting it was on. Ignis put the earbuds into his ears and started going through everything to learn what was on the player and in what order. He would listen to the first few seconds of a song, then skip to the next one once.

He recognized everything he heard. Lenne. Llednar Twem. Joanna Farrell. The Black Mages. Balamb Skyfish. The Genome Project, L'Cie, and Fenrir. All of his favorite artists, plus a few of Prompto's own picks.

"This is..." Ignis didn't have a proper word to express his gratitude. He held the MP3 player close to his chest, as if it were precious and fragile and he couldn't bring himself to let go of it. "Thank you, Prompto. Thank you for this."

"Glad you like it," Prompto said. "If you want me to add anything else, all you gotta do is say so. I'm totally smiling right now, just so you know."

Ignis imagined the smile to be just like the one Prompto had given them the morning of Leviathan's ritual. He could remember it clearly, the last happy thing he had seen with his eyes. Prompto's wonderful smile.

He'd never see it again.

That wonderful smile was gone forever.

* * *

Two weeks went by, and Ignis improved. He walked more confidently and got used to having to hear sudden sounds that came out of nowhere all the time. His phone was configured to accept voice commands and he no longer had to cling to Prompto constantly and could even go up and down stairs without incident. The MP3 player became his little portable sanctuary whenever he needed a break. When he needed to get away from everything, he would sit for half an hour, letting himself get lost in music.

Sometimes he'd put a song on repeat, and it was usually the old Lucian folksong sung by Lenne. She'd sing to him that there was no reason to be afraid of the dark. Sometimes he'd hum along, harmonizing with her.

At night, he'd seek out Prompto's warmth and press himself into his chest until he felt safe enough to sleep.

Ignis felt better, but he still didn't feel alive.

Noctis, on the other hand, did not improve.

If anything, he got worse. He was nearly silent and would spend the days alone, refusing all company where he did nothing but sleep and stare into space. Sometimes, when he thought no one was watching, he would flip through the notebook he and Lunafreya had used to send messages to each other. He barely ate and Ignis started to worry about his health.

"We need to leave," Gladiolus said as they walked past a listless Noctis staring out into the ocean as if he were searching the waves for Lunafreya. "He's had long enough, and this place is bringing him down."

Although Ignis didn't agree that Noctis has had "long enough" to grieve, he did agree that they should leave Altissia. How terrible it must be for Noctis, to be stuck in the city where his dear Lunafreya had been killed.

"We should take the train," Prompto suggested. "It's the fastest way to travel."

Travel straight into the heart of the Niflheim Empire, that was. It was dangerous and foolish, but there was no way to go but forward. Going back to Lucis was an option, but to do so would be giving up. If they went back to Lucis, it would do nothing but invalidate their coming to Altissia. Rendered Lunafreya's death meaningless. They'd go back to Lucis with nothing to show for it except for a broken, crownless king and his newly blinded advisor.

They were not about to let that happen.

They managed to herd Noctis and the Regalia onto a train that was heading towards Tenebrae and ultimately, Gralea, the capital of the Niflheim Empire. It was a journey that would take several days with plenty of stops in between to change trains.

As they got comfortable in their train car, Ignis felt Prompto sit down next to him.

Ignis leaned against him, feeling Prompto relax as they tried to get comfortable. Prompto was warm and calming. He made Ignis feel safe and put his overactive mind at ease, giving him some time away from his own treacherous thoughts. They were wretched little things that constantly haunted him with self-loathing and cruel hypotheticals, whispering poison into his ears. Would have, could have, should have. All of those went quiet when he leaned on Prompto like this. Prompto kissed his forehead and it calmed him.

"I can tell you're worried," Prompto said. "Don't be, Iggy. You'll be fine. You're going to see again."

Prompto's words of encouragement were a speck of hope, a beautiful promise Ignis could wrap himself in like some kind of security blanket.

"Thank you, Prompto," he said as they both started to drift into sleep. "Thank you...for that lie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for real i just want this chapter and the next one to be over with asap


	11. Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tags and barcodes.
> 
> Depression and anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter planned for ages.
> 
> It's finally here.

By all accounts, Prompto should consider himself lucky. He made it out of Leviathan's trial with little more than minor injuries that a few bandages and days of rest would be able to fix. He didn't lose his livelihood or any close ones.

But the truth was he wasn't lucky at all.

That one day changed everything and everyone around him, and in turn, that changed him. Seated in the train, in this oddly silent train car, he'd look around at his three companions, these three close friends he's spent the past few months in the near constant presence of, and barely recognize them.

Noctis was quiet, sullen, and instead of sleeping the days away, he'd spend them in a numb trance, barely reacting to anything anyone had to say to him.

He couldn't remember the last time he didn't see Gladiolus scowling. The man was impatient, as if trying to urge them to go faster even though they were on a train moving at a fixed speed. He had gone from rough, but gentle to outright hostile to anyone and everyone, but especially to Noctis, who would simply shrug him off without so much as a single word.

And then there was Ignis.

Ignis, who Prompto knew was hiding things from him, who was trying to pretend that he had everything together and that there was nothing wrong and that was the furthest thing from the truth. He's seen the way Ignis has withdrawn into himself. He wasn't half as chatty as he usually was. His sense of sarcasm was nowhere to be found. He hadn't made a single pun in a month. When Ignis thought he was alone, he would slump over a desk or table, head buried in his arms, and quietly despair. Prompto would sometimes find him, and he would never let Ignis know that he saw him like that. Ignis started sleeping more and more, waking up later and sometimes taking long naps during the day.

That was wrong. The real Ignis always tried to get away on five hours of sleep, needed a steady supply of caffeine to function, and usually had to be forced to rest.

He also hasn't been the most pleasant person to be around. It wasn't Gladiolus-level hostility, but Prompto found himself having to watch what he did and said around Ignis. Over the weeks, Prompto learned when to offer help, when not to, and when to just give Ignis space. A single misstep meant being snapped at and having to back off quickly, as if Ignis were a cornered animal too afraid to let anyone get too close to him.

Prompto was patient. He knew this was because of Ignis' new, debilitating and life shattering disability. Prompto wouldn't dare claim that he knew what Ignis was going through or that he was being unreasonable.

But dealing with Ignis' sudden shifts between depression and anger was exhausting.

The train itself seemed to reflect their mood. It was the most bland and soul stealing shade of grey Prompto had ever seen. The passengers consisted mostly of Altissian refugees who were en route to the outer towns, Tenebrae, or even Niflheim itself to stay with family, start new lives, or just run away from it all. The radio in the dining car seemed to be perpetually reporting on the death of the Oracle.

Thoughts of Lady Lunafreya saddened him. Even though they never met in person, Prompto always felt a special connection to her and it felt as if he had lost a dear friend. Meeting her was one of goals in life, and that goal was cruelly stolen away from him right when he was about to cross the finish line.

The train slowed and a voice over the public announcement system announced they were pulling into Cartanica station and that passengers heading towards Tenebrae needed to disembark to change trains.

This was their stop.

* * *

There's an abandoned quarry at Cartanica, Fodina Caestino, that housed a Royal Tomb, according to a message they had recieved from Cor. On the one hand, it was nice to know that there was definitely a Royal Tomb in there instead of the usual method of stumbling through a place to discover it did or didn't have a tomb. On the other, Prompto really wished Cor would stick around and lend them a hand once in a while. If there was ever a time they needed help, it was now. But it's not in Cor's nature to stay in one place or with companions for long. Being constantly on the move was one reason for his legendary ability to survive just about anything and added to the mystery of being the Immortal. He was a solitary lion, constantly roaming around and stopping only long enough to push people in the right direction. Even in the Citadel, he would always be patrolling around somewhere. Prompto was fairly sure that despite his esteemed position in the Crownsguard, Cor didn't even have an office or a desk in the Citadel. If he did, he probably didn't even use them. He probably read reports while walking down hallways and signed papers on the nearest available flat surface like a wall or somebody's back.

Thoughts of Cor were interrupted as he saw Ignis asking Noctis to take him into the quarry, and briefly, for the first time in weeks, Noctis looked a little bit like himself and told Ignis he could never leave him behind. Of course Noctis would take him. Ignis has been at his side for virtually all his life.

And, Prompto thought, Noctis couldn't bear to lose anyone else, even for just a moment.

* * *

The quarry had seen better days. Just from a single look, it was obvious that the place had been abandoned for years. Old, rusty machinery lay half sunken in pools of shallow, standing water and Prompto took a moment to shudder at the thought of all the _bugs_ that were thriving in it. A huge tree had grown into the quarry years ago, and it was easily the biggest tree Prompto had ever seen. When Ignis asked him to describe it, his answer was "a mountain, but if it was a tree." Local wildlife had moved in and made itself at home and while that wasn't the most ideal situation, at least they weren't daemons.

Progress was very slow due to having to account for Ignis. Prompto stayed near him at all times, feeding him information and warning him of potential dangers ahead of time. Noctis kept moving too quickly and while Gladiolus would bark at him to come back, the truth was he was going too fast as well. He just decided to take the moral upper hand because he was less ahead than Noctis would be.

"For all his yelling about waiting for me," Ignis grumbled as he stumbled over an exposed tree root. "He certainly hasn't been very considerate himself."

Whenever they were attacked by monsters, Prompto would keep one eye on the enemy and the other on Ignis, who was reduced to having to stay on the fringes of the skirmishes, waiting for something to come to him before swinging a dagger at it. He missed half the time, and Prompto couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for him. That was the opposite of how Ignis liked to fight. Ignis liked to quickly duck and weave in and out of battle, striking enemies from their blind spots and deftly dodging attacks that came his way. He was aggressive and yet he could swap to a more defensive strategy in the blink of an eye. He was flexible in mind and body, and always directing the flow of battle.

Like this, he had no control and was fully at the mercy of the enemy.

A falxfang was sneaking up behind Ignis and Prompto rushed in to drive it off with the Drillbreaker.

He almost got a dagger in his gut for his trouble.

"Hey, it's just me," he said as the blade _just_ missed his abdomen.

"A-apologies," Ignis replied, stuttering as he realized the horror of what he had almost done.

There was an explosion behind them and the heat of a Fira explosion warmed their bodies. It was almost nice, considering they were standing shins deep in cold, muddy water.

"What the hell, Noct!?" Gladiolus roared. "You almost hit Iggy!"

"That was nowhere near me," Ignis muttered, agitation obvious in his voice. "Even I can tell. And even if that had hit me, it's not as if I haven't been caught in the crossfire of Noct's haphazard spell slinging before."

Although the monsters were all dead, Prompto's body hurt with the memories of being stricken with Noctis' elemental grenades plenty of times. It wasn't fun, but it was hardly life threatening either. The biggest concern was trying not to look like a fool as your limbs twitched involuntarily or you patted out a flame in your hair.

They set up what absolutely had to be the saddest little camp ever. With Ignis no longer being able to cook, dinner consisted of canned food they had bought before leaving Altissia. It was bland and unfulfilling, but it was all they had and it would get them through another day. Worse than their pathetic meal, however, was everyone's attitudes. Gladiolus refused to be anywhere within five feet of Noctis and would actually move like a petulant child whenever the prince got too close.

Noctis pretended not to care and sulked in his camp chair.

Ignis sat quietly, staring at flames he couldn't see, lost in some kind of deep thought. Prompto pulled another chair up next to his.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello, Prompto," Ignis said after a moment's delay. "I want to apologize."

Prompto shrugged, then remembered that Ignis wouldn't be able to see him doing so. The fire crackled. "Don't sweat it. I didn't get cut open and my intestines didn't spill out, leading me to a gruesome, painful, slow death. No harm done."

At that, Ignis laughed, although it was a quiet one that was tinged with sadness. "I don't mean just that. I've been terrible to you lately." Prompto opened his mouth to protest, but Ignis silenced him with a hand, almost as if he could see Prompto. In reality, Ignis just knew him that well. "Don't try to argue with me on this. I'm well aware of my behavior and the fact that it's been unacceptable. Losing my vision doesn't give me an excuse to treat you poorly. You've been nothing but good to me this entire time."

"It hasn't been easy," Prompto admitted, leaning back into his chair and staring upwards. There wasn't much of anything to see. The sky here had nothing on the skies in Lucis and Altissia. Which, he realized, made no sense. There was only one sky, and Prompto wondered if the view really was that bad or if his own perception was just making it worse. "But it's fine. I can do it, and I can keep doing it for as long as I need to."

"I can't ask that," Ignis said, shaking his head.

Nearby, Gladiolus decided to break his own unspoken boundary and stomped up to Noctis.

"What?" Noctis asked, voice monotone.

"I'm just here to tell you to get your act together," Gladiolus said.

Prompto reached out to touch Ignis' shoulder. "Hey, it's no problem. I don't mind doing this for you."

"That's exactly the problem," Ignis replied. "I can't keep asking you to do things for me. I can't keep holding the group back."

"Don't tell me what to do," Nocits growled.

"But I want to," Prompto said.

"You haven't done a damn thing in weeks," Gladiolus snorted. "Iggy's done more than you, and he can't see shit."

"It's time I face the facts, Prompto," Ignis said, turning away from the fire and to Prompto's face. The dark lenses hid his eyes, but the many scars and deformities he had suffered from the battle in Altissia remained. "I have done nothing but contribute negatively to this group since Leviathan's ritual. I am slow. I cannot fight. I can't even read a piece of paper. My mere presence is a liability. I thought it could be worked around, but it's become very clear that I am nothing but a glaring weakness now."

"Don't bring Ignis into this," Noctis hissed.

"Too bad, he's already here," Gladiolus said, gesturing to said Ignis with a hand. "And if you don't shape up, something's gonna happen to him."

"I am thinking about returning to Altissia," Ignis continued. "Perhaps I can be of some small use to First Secretary Claustra."

"What?" Prompto asked, surprised. He had no idea that Ignis was thinking about _leaving_.

"Unlike you, I am useless to Noct, and apparently Gladiolus seems to only see me as a convenient tool for when he wants to throw a barb at our dear prince," Ignis said, bitterly. Prompto knew he must have been getting tired of Gladiolus constantly bringing him up, yet doing nothing to help him navigate the quarry or protect him in battle. "So it would be best if I left before I let any delusions of grandeur bring harm upon us." He held up a hand, something metallic grasped in it. "I won't be needing this any longer, I would like you to hold onto it."

Prompto's eyes widened. In Ignis' hand was his hunter's dog tag. He could clearly see Ignis' name and identification number embossed in it. It caught the light of the campfire, reflecting its flames.

"You know what?" Noctis said, standing up and glaring daggers at Gladiolus. "I'm done. I'm not taking any more of your crap."

"No," Prompto said, pushing Ignis' hand back to him. "I'm not taking that."

"Oh? You've been taking it so far," Gladiolus mocked. "Like a wuss."

"Prompto, please," Ignis begged.

"Better a wuss than an unfeeling jackass," Noctis spat.

His words seemed to enrage Gladiolus. "Unfeeling? My father and Jared _died_ for us. For me. And you know what? I got over it! Because Iris needed me. Because you needed me. And now people need you and all you do is sit and cry in the pity corner!"

"Good for you!" Noctis yelled. "Congratulations, but in case you haven't noticed, not all of us are you!"

"No," Prompto repeated. "I won't. I'm not going to take that from you, Ignis."

"Why not?" Ignis asked.

"Just do it," Gladiolus said, turning around. He was done arguing. "All you gotta do is force yourself to."

"You know what it means when a hunter is separated from his tag," Prompto said. "It means he's _dead_. Is that what you're telling me, Ignis? That you're dead?"

"I may as well be," Ignis replied. "Better dead than a hindrance."

"You're not a hindrance!" Prompto yelled, frustration creeping into his voice. "How can you be? You've given up everything for us! You've given up your time, your sleep, your safety, and your eyes! Isn't that enough, Ignis? How much more do you have to give before you're satisfied?"

Noctis stood up and stalked off to the tent. Gladiolus watched him go with judging eyes.

"How can you ask me to take being a hunter from you?" Prompto asked. "You love it. It's one of the only things you have left."

Ignis' reply was quiet, defeated. "I can't be expected to continue as one like this."

"Why not!?" Prompto asked. "You're Ignis! You'd figure it out. Don't you want to keep being a hunter?"

"Of course I do," Ignis said. "Just like how I want to stay here with all of you."

"Then stay. You've more than earned the right to."

"I can't justify it. What I want is meaningless."

"Stop being so difficult. Why do you keep making everything so hard? I don't know how much longer I can put up with this. With you." As soon as the words left his mouth, Prompto immediately regretted them. He had let his frustrations of the past few weeks slip through. The look of hurt on Ignis' face was agonizing.

"I knew I was making things difficult for you," Ignis said. "But I didn't realize it was that bad. I...are you saying you want to break up?"

Prompto ran his hands down his face. Rubbed his temples, then combed his hands through his hair. He took a deep breath, and let out all of the stress and anger he had been bottling up for the past few weeks.

" _No!_ "

Astrals almighty, that felt good.

"Why?" Prompto demanded, furious. "Why can't you see you're not a problem? You give so much and you don't ask for anything in return." Except maybe an acknowledgement every once in a while. "Even now, you had every right to sit out of this shitty little field trip, but you decided to come into this bug infested hellhole because you wanted to make sure we were safe. And you still think you're useless? What the hell, Ignis? _What the hell!?_ Why do you have to be like this? Why do you have to..."

He trailed off. Ignis dared to ask, "Why do I have to what?"

"...why do you have to be so much like me?" Prompto finished, lowering his voice. "All of you. Noct, Gladio, and especially you...you made me feel like I was worth something. That I was valuable."

"Because you are," Ignis said.

"If I have worth, you do too," Prompto said. "You being blind doesn't suddenly invalidate everything that's so good about you. We can't, _I_ can't fix you, but, that doesn't make you broken. Here, give me that." He tugged lightly on the dog tag, which Ignis clung to for a couple seconds before letting go. Prompto got up out of his seat and walked behind Ignis' chair, opening the clasp and putting the chained necklace back on him. "You are Ignis Scientia, member of the Crownsguard, advisor to Noctis Lucis Caelum, and esteemed hunter. That hasn't changed. We just have to figure out new ways for you to do things. It'll take time, but we _will_ do it."

Ignis was silent, but reached up to touch the dog tag. This time, he didn't tuck it beneath his shirt.

"I'll help you. Please, Ignis. Let me help you."

The fire popped, covering everything in an orange glow, from Ignis' face to the back of Gladiolus' jacket. Slowly, Ignis nodded. Prompto draped his arms around him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Good. Thanks. For letting me in."

He closed his eyes and it was almost like he was transported back in time to before Leviathan, back when they were all happy and hopeful. He wanted to go back to those days, and he felt like they could. They just all needed to get their heads screwed back on straight.

"May I say something?" Ignis asked, his hand moving to Prompto's.

"Yeah. Go for it."

Ignis leaned back in the chair, as if he were trying to press closer to him. He rubbed Prompto's knuckles in the same way he had back in Lestallum.

"I love you, Prompto."

Prompto paused and lifted his head, looking down at Ignis. Something swelled in his chest, and he held Ignis closer, pressing his face into his neck and smiling.

"I love you too, Ignis."

The next day, Ignis threw a Firaga grenade into the mouth of a malboro, chewed out both Noctis and Gladiolus, announced his intention to stay with the group and try to keep up, because _obviously_ things would fall apart without him, and for the first time in weeks, the four of them had something resembling group cohesion once again.

Two days after that, Noctis pushed Prompto off the train.

* * *

Time had no meaning when you were restrained and locked up in a completely dark cell. Prompto slept most of the time and the times he was awake, he had nothing but his own thoughts to accompany him, which he spent thinking about his time in the Niflheim countryside. He had all the time in the world, no, the _universe_ , to think about his origins and of his "father." Sometimes Ardyn would talk to him, when he would come in to do the most basic things to keep him just barely alive, and Prompto would pretend to ignore him.

When his friends pulled him free, Prompto didn't even register it at first. He almost thought it was a dream, another one of Ardyn's cruel illusions. But he realized it was real when Gladiolus carried him with such care and gentleness, something that Ardyn could never replicate, for the man didn't know how to be kind. Ardyn could only fake it, a sickeningly obvious fakeness that he had felt ever since their first meeting months ago in Galdin Quay.

"We got you," Gladiolus said, and he sounded like the Gladiolus of the past, the one who would put himself between his enemies and his friends and shrug off a hit to his invulnerable abdomen and laugh about it and give a wink as he'd then turn and slice something in two with his greatsword. "You're safe now, Prompto."

Prompto closed his eyes and let himself relax, until he felt himself being put into an uncomfortable, scratchy army bed. It was luxurious. His friends took care of him, gave him food and water and just stayed with him. Noctis sat down next to him and cried, actually cried, letting endless apologies spill forth from his mouth, saying how bad of a friend he was and telling him he had begged Aranea to find him and how he had broken down with relief when she called to say that Prompto was safe and heading towards Gralea and how he nearly lost it all over again when Ardyn said he had him in custody.

Prompto put a hand on his shoulder and told him to slow down, explaining he wasn't mad, and that just made Noctis burst into a brand new sobbing fit and had to be gently pulled aside by Gladiolus, who patted him awkwardly on the back.

"I missed you," Ignis said, taking Noctis' recently vacated spot. "Terribly."

"Same," Prompto replied. "Are you okay?"

Ignis shook his head. "We finally reunite after you go missing, then are put into inhumane captivity, and the first thing you ask is if _I'm_ okay?" He reached over to pull Prompto into his arms, nuzzling his face into blond hair. "I'm good. Even better now that you're here again."

After hours of rest, they got moving again. Prompto moved slowly beside Ignis, feeling unused to walking after being confined for so long. He tripped and Ignis knelt down to help him back up.

"Thanks," he said, then rubbed his arm. "Guess it's my turn to be stumbling around, huh?"

"Not exactly," Ignis replied. "I'm still rather clumsy myself. But think of it as me paying you back for the dozens of times you've picked me up these past several weeks. As well as that one time you did back in Greyshire."

As they made progress, Prompto's body remembered how to move and how to fight and he was back to something that resembled fighting form quickly. The group clawed their way through Zegnautus Keep, forcing their way through haywire magitek troopers and escaped daemons until at last, they stood at the door to the Emperor Aldercapt's throne room with no way in. Gladiolus suggested bashing the door in, but Prompto stepped forward and after taking a moment to gather his courage, moved his wristbands to scan the barcode that was hidden beneath them at a nearby console.

The door clicked, then opened for them.

Prompto felt his throat go dry as he explained himself. He wasn't born. He was created, intended to be a magitek trooper and were it not for a twist of fate, he would have stood before them as another one of the faceless opposition.

They didn't care. They smiled at him, joked about it, and ultimately, it didn't matter.

Everything that Prompto learned about himself since he fell off the train didn't matter and it was the happiest feeling in the world.

Aranea was right. His friends still loved him and wanted him by their sides. Prompto should have known better than to doubt the woman who could push him over just by placing a boot on his chest and applying a tiny amount of pressure.

"You really don't think differently of me?" he asked Ignis.

"Of course I don't," Ignis answered. "You could be the secret heir to the Niflheim Empire and I wouldn't care. You were _supposed_ to be an MT, but you very clearly are not. Therefore, it's pointless for me to let it color my perceptions of you. I don't care what you are, Prompto, which, by the way, is a living, breathing person with thoughts and feelings, just like the rest of us. I only care about who you are."

"Who am I, then?"

"A bright, gentle, thoughtful, and highly attractive individual who complains too much, but puts up with me and my eccentricities. Someone who, despite all my egregious faults, somehow still loves me."

"Huh," Prompto mused. "Good to know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only a few more chapters left.
> 
> But we're done with the super heavy stuff now I promise.


	12. Persephone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death and life.
> 
> Time and confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also known as Intermission, The Second

"It's cold," Ignis said, which at first would sound like an extremely obvious fact considering they were inside a metal keep in Niflheim, but that wasn't what he meant. But he wasn't referring to the freezing climate of the Niflheim biome, he was referring to the fact that it was midday and it was completely dark outside. "I can't feel the sun."

"There is no sun," Gladiolus responded.

Even sightless, Ignis turned his head upwards to gaze into a sky that seemed even blacker than the darkness that normally enveloped his world. There were hints that something like this was happening, even before they set sail for Altissia. The mornings came later and the sun started setting unnaturally early. He imagined the sky to be an inky black that smothered out the moon and the stars, the only comforts the people would have in this night. No, this was not night. It was as if the Starscourge had enveloped the world and blocked out the celestial bodies that mankind had looked up to since time immemorial.

He wondered if this happened because of something Ardyn did or if it was because Noctis was swallowed whole by the Crystal. Whatever it was, Ignis wondered if coming to Gralea was a mistake. Would things had gone differently if they stayed away? If they chose another path? Would returning to Lucis have been the better choice after all? What if they never went to Altissia in the first place?

That little voice continued to murmur in his ear, listing every mistake he'd ever made in his life and how he should have done things.

Snow fell around them. He could feel the tiny flakes landing softly on his face. He never really thought about snow before, but in that very moment, it felt like a small comfort.

The train ride back to Altissia was quiet and uncomfortable, filled to capacity with Niflheim refugees. Ignis overheard some people saying they had just fled _to_ the Empire and now they had to go back the way they came. What seemed like the safest place on Eos to them turned out to be the epicenter of chaos. He felt bad for them. While the Empire was (emphasis on _was_ ) his enemy, Ignis never had any ill will towards its citizens, who have spent years under oppressive rule and just as much victims as the people of any other country. Even though they suffered, Niflheim was their home. And that home was destroyed in a blink of an eye. Gralea was overrun with daemons and malfunctioning magitek troopers. There was no leadership. The infrastructure was in shambles as nearly all of the Empire's resources had gone into their weapons technology development, the results of that research being what was running wild in the Imperial capital right now. The Niflheim Empire was no more. It was the most powerful force in the world one moment, then gone the next.

Ignis wondered what this meant for the rest of the world. What it meant for Tenebrae, Accordo, Galahad, Lucis, and the Crown City.

In Tenebrae, they stayed a week to help Aranea organize the sudden influx of people. Tenebrae, too, was in shambles, having no royal family left, but it was still in better shape than Niflheim. The remaining stewards and servants of House Fleuret banded together to help and it wasn't long until they had something of a system going.

Ignis helped train willing and able citizens to fight, offering advice and tips. It was difficult when he couldn't see their progress with his eyes, but was told his input was valuable. Aranea, Gladiolus, and Prompto would take the recruits out to fight some of the lesser daemons just outside the safe zones and Ignis would observe them from the safety of the floodlights.

He began to learn how to discern sounds from each other in the battlefield. He started to learn how to differentiate between friend and foe. The sounds of human and daemon movements were very distinct from each other. Humans were more even and steady, daemons more erratic and wild. A few days of just listening made a world of difference, although it would be a long time before he would perfect the skill.

They made it back to the rebuilding Altissia and sailed back to Lucis, landing in Cape Caem to touch base with Cor, Monica, and Dustin, the last surviving members of the Crownsguard. When Iris and Talcott came to greet them, Ignis almost didn't want them to see him, but Talcott was kind and Iris' arms around him gentle.

Cape Caem was their home for two months as they started to fully understand the situation. The entire world was trapped in an unending darkness. Daemons multiplied in number and became more aggressive. Travel wasn't safe and the vast majority of the population was now confined to the areas of civilization, and every settlement from the smallest town to the biggest city was struggling to contain the sudden population growths.

If this kept up, Cor predicted a major decline in human population. Ignis feared he was right. If the daemons didn't reduce humanity's numbers, the lack of resources would.

Ignis practiced more. He started to learn how to identify and track individuals. Gladiolus and Prompto were easy; both of them were distinct. Gladiolus always packed every action with immense strength and steadfastness. Prompto was fleet footed and the sounds of his guns and machinery were an easy thing to pick up. It also helped both of them were quite chatty. Cor moved deliberately, as if every step he took was calculated well in advance and struck targets with amazing speed. Iris began to join in fights, and she kept a spring in her step, her acrobatic movements always making distinct sounds or powerful impacts. Monica was the hardest. She stepped lightly and with catlike grace, but Ignis eventually learned how to pick up on her subtle giveaways.

He studied daemons as well. Each daemon species had its own unique features, from their movements to their noises, and even their smells. They had no sense of strategy, only a single desire to kill any living creature unfortunate to catch their attention. The real challenge was the fact that daemons almost always attacked in groups, and in groups of all the same type of daemon, it was frustrating to pick them out.

Ignis wasn't ready to fully dive deep into the thick of battle just yet, but he was no longer forced to stand around and wait for something to attack him first, nor did he always have to rely on someone else to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Gladiolus was the first to leave Cape Caem. He had grown anxious, worrying his skills were being wasted when there was no Noctis to protect, but plenty of civilians who desperately needed help. He entrusted Iris and Talcott to Cor, Monica, and Dustin and was on his way after commandeering a recently abandoned car.

A few weeks later, Ignis and Prompto also left.

They would stop at every civilization they found to find out how the people were doing. Sometimes they were getting by. Often, they needed help. Some were completely abandoned. Worst of all was when they found a place infested with daemons and clothes strewn about. They would work together to clear the area out. Or, more accurately, Prompto cleared it out while Ignis helped, but each time he was able to help more and more. Afterwards, they would salvage what they could, and continue on.

"It's a good thing you can't see this," Prompto would sometimes say.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any less horrifying," Ignis would reply. He would be able to hear the daemons crawling around, feel their presences, and perhaps worst of all, the stench of miasma would be thick in the air, and he would always have to hold back the urge to retch. He didn't know if not being able to see made it better or worse.

They rarely stayed in a single place for long and spent several months on the road traveling, the only thing constant in their lives being each other. The times they were lucky enough to have a room and a bed to themselves they would always spend time tangled up in the sheets and each other, something that was just as much an act of love as it was a means of temporary escape from the world they were trapped in.

Sometimes they would run into Gladiolus, and it would be a happy reunion, for keeping in touch via text message and phone calls just wasn't the same and it was always a relief to actually see him alive.

Life in the Starscourge riddled Eos eventually stabilized. The cost for that stabilization was roughly half of the world's population.

* * *

Prompto and Ignis settled in Lestallum about a year after the sun disappeared. Their place was one of the rooms in the Leville, which had converted from hotel to apartment building once gil started losing its value. Survival was the first thing on everyone's minds. Luxury was rare, usually taking the form of alcohol or entertainment. Anything that could get peoples' minds off the terrors that lurked just beyond the safety of the high intensity floodlights.

Two more years passed. Life went from "stable" to "comfortable." As comfortable as a sunless hellscape of a world could be.

But even with what seemed like everything ending around them, there was still opportunity for happiness and normalcy.

"Set the heat to high," Ignis instructed.

"Does it have to be high?" Prompto asked.

"Yes," Ignis answered, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

"Alright, alright," Prompto chuckled as he did what he was told. He followed Ignis' instructions the best he could, although he had to stop a few times to ask for clarification on what, exactly, he should be doing.

Ignis took the time to appreciate the sound of the oil in the pan boiling and the smell of meat cooking. Ever since they stopped traveling, he had taken to teaching Prompto how to properly prepare and cook meals once a week. At the same time, he was came up with ways to navigate the kitchen himself.

When he took a bite of Prompto's spicy dualhorn steak, he thought Prompto was almost as good at cooking as he was. Almost.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Prompto asked, and Ignis said he needed to take some time. Three years ago, if someone told him that he would be able to enjoy normal life in the endless night, he would have thought them insane.

"A walk around the city sounds good," Ignis answered. It was one of their favorite activities, as even with the state of the world being what it was, Lestallum was still a place full of life. It had changed over the years, with new residents moving in from all around the world. The sharp drop in population meant EXINERIS started hiring men to fill vacant power plant positions and there was always something new to see or find.

Unfortunately, they also knew all the streets by heart now, so getting lost was no longer an option.

Before they could leave, however, there was a knock at the door. Prompto got up to answer it.

"Hey there," said a voice that Ignis recognized as Holly. Their old friend had become the new mayor of Lestallum after the previous one died in a daemon attack. The woman was a hopeless workaholic, and being mayor suited her surprisingly well. "Got a problem that I need my two best hunters to resolve."

And that was how Ignis and Prompto got to spend their evening inside a storehouse, waiting for a thief that was coming to steal supplies.

Lestallum didn't have any shortages. Fruit and vegetables were grown using artificial sun lamps and animals were raised on the outskirts of town, protected by both lights and hunters. There were those, however, who had grown wicked with the eternal night and saw the Starscourge's dominance as permission to commit crimes. It was common for aspiring villains to try to take control of supplies to gain power over the people reliant over them.

This one in particular was good at getting past the usual security and all the previous hunters Holly had sent were unable to pin him down, meaning she had to turn to Ignis and Prompto for help. She tried to use them as little as possible, just in case their skills and expertise were needed for a difficult job or in the event of an emergency.

The thief was brazen; he always came at the same time each night and Holly believed he was going to try a bold move and try to take control of the entire building. They split up to look for him. If they were lucky, they could be finished within an hour.

Prompto was the first to find the thief, holding him up with his gun. Hearing the commotion, Ignis headed towards him to help. While Prompto was almost certainly more than a match for the man, it never hurt to have backup.

"Now," Prompto said. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

The thief was a tall and thin man with long limbs and dark hair. While he usually just stuffed things into a satchel and ran away, this time he had come armed with a pocket knife. A pocket knife in the hands of an untrained thief, however, stood no chance against one of the best gunslingers in the world.

When Ignis got close, sweeping his cane in front of him, the thief saw his chance. In one quick motion, he grabbed Ignis by the arm, roughly, and pulled him in front of him, holding the blade inches from his throat. Ignis dropped his cane and there was a loud clatter as it hit the ground.

"Don't shoot or the blind guy gets it," he threatened.

"Oh," Prompto said, deadpan, lowering his weapon before dismissing it entirely. "The hard way, then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

And then he gleefully sat down cross legged on the floor to watch the impending carnage unfold.

The thief was confused for a moment before Ignis reached up to grab wrist of the man's knife hand then elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to drop his weapon and the next thing the thief knew, he was the one being shoved into a wall with a dagger pressed to his neck.

"Your technique is atrocious," Ignis chided as Prompto called some hunters to arrest the thief. "My weapon is coated in poison, by the way, so I suggest you not move." Once the thief was securely in hunter custody, he found his cane, slipped a shoe under it, kicked it directly upwards, and caught it in midair.

Prompto rolled his eyes, even though he knew Ignis couldn't see it. "You haven't needed that for a year."

"It's quite fashionable," Ignis argued. "It goes with my outfit."

"No, it's because you like pretending you're weak," Prompto corrected. "You let that guy take you hostage on purpose so you could beat him up."

"It is tactical."

"You do it because you think it's funny."

"The two are not mutually exclusive," Ignis said. "Besides, we could have avoided all that if you had just shot him."

"And waste a bullet?" Prompto frowned. "Hell no. Was your dagger actually poisoned?"

"You're asking if I would waste my precious poison on a mere bandit? Absolutely not." Ignis offered him a hand. "Shall we take that walk now?"

* * *

Their next major job was to do a supply delivery to Wiz's Chocobo Post, which had stubbornly remained open all this time due to owner's fierce dedication to the birds and an unwillingness to let them fall prey to the daemons. Their car broke down a couple miles from their destination and they had to walk the rest of the way to the ranch, meaning they had to walk the rest of the way on foot, carrying crates of medicinal supplies and food. Before the Starscourge, it would have been an hour's walk. That time was nearly doubled with the increased danger of the endless night.

"Ah, it's you boys," Wiz said, taking Ignis' crate off his hands. "Thank you for that."

"How are the chocobos?" Prompto asked, following Wiz. His love for the birds hadn't waned in the least over the years.

"We're makin' do," Wiz answered as he set the crate down. Prompto placed his crate on top of it. "Thing is, we're starting to get a bit of an overcrowding problem here. With the world the way it is, a lot of chocobos, even wild ones, are findin' their way to us."

"How are our chocobos?" Ignis asked.

"Doin' fine. They miss you boys something fierce, though."

Wiz led them to the stables, where their chocobos were kept and cared for. As they approached, three chocobo heads peered over their pens to look at them, each one a different color.

"There's only three of them," Prompto said. "Where's Agrippa?"

"Gladiolus came around 'bout a week ago and took him. Said he could take care of him to lighten our load and that a chocobo is more useful to him than a car these days."

Ignis knew that Prompto was giving him a pleading look.

"Iggy...please?" Prompto was using his sickeningly sweet voice for when he wanted to charm Ignis into something. If Ignis had to guess, he was trying to make himself look cute as well, despite the absolute uselessness of the gesture. "Wiz is struggling and we can't just leave them here."

"You don't have to beg," Ignis sighed, placing a hand on Prompto's face to give him a light push. "I was thinking the same thing." Their car was nonfunctional and what Wiz had told them was worrying. "We will take them off your hands."

"Thanks, I know they'll be safe with you." Ignis heard the sound of two pen doors unlocking and then a chocobo's beak nuzzling against his neck. He reached up to pet what he knew to be his dear Persephone, and beside him, Prompto laughed as Icarus lavished him with attention.

But, there was one more thing.

"We will take Helios as well," Ignis said, gesturing to the third pen that held the purple chocobo. They couldn't leave him behind. Leaving Helios alone would feel like abandoning Noctis, whom they still believed would return to them someday.

Wiz unlocked the third pen and the chocobo stepped out, oddly quiet. Ignis reached out to stroke the bird on his neck.

"He will return," he whispered to the bird. "One day. Do not lose hope, Helios. He will come back to us."

* * *

Chocobos, as it turned out, were a huge asset. They became an even bigger one once Ignis and Prompto started splitting their time between Lestallum and Hammerhead when Cindy started requesting extra help. Chocobos could do just about anything if properly trained, from being mounts to beasts of burden, to guards, and even guide animals. It became standard practice for them to take a chocobo with them when they would patrol the surrounding areas or go on hunts or supply runs. There were few things more satisfying than a hearing a chocobo's war cry and the sound of it kicking and clawing a daemon to death.

Ignis never had proof of it, but he was fairly certain Persephone could understand human language. At the very least, she had realized he was blind and would always walk close beside him. He would keep a hand on her to try to gauge her mood, for if she tensed, that meant something was happening. It saddened him when he realized she had lost weight, but she was just as lively and energetic as she was in the good old days, so he didn't worry too much about it. Everyone, human and animal, has gotten leaner in the past few years.

They were out on routine patrol in the area around Hammerhead when Persephone stopped beside him, letting out a wark. Before he could ask, Ignis could hear footsteps. The gait told him it was that of another chocobo, and probably one that was carrying a rider.

"'Sup."

"Gladio. Agrippa." Ignis reached over to scratch the red chocobo beneath the chin.

"Are you seriously more excited to see my bird than me?" Gladiolus snorted as he dismounted.

"No, because in case you've forgotten, I can't see anything."

"Very funny," Gladiolus said with a chuckle. It truly was a good thing to see each other. "Where's Prompto?"

"Back in Lestallum. I'm here alone for the next two weeks to give newly registered hunters a crash course on their new duties," Ignis answered. "You should visit more often. Once every two months or so is not nearly enough."

Unlike Prompto and Ignis, Gladiolus had chosen to live the nomad's life, constantly traveling in the untamed wilds. He was becoming something of a legend, showing up to help solve a problem or save someone in trouble, then disappearing into the darkness as soon as it was fixed. Prompto would joke that he was going to try to beat Cor's record (an ambitious goal, considering that Cor Leonis was still very much alive). People started calling him Gladiolus the Restless, always on the move.

"Nice to see you're doing well," Gladiolus said. "After Altissia, I hate to say it, but I wasn't sure if you'd ever be your old self again."

"I'm not," Ignis corrected. "I'm someone different from then, and so are you. It's been five years. People change whether they like it or not. Regardless, I had to move on. I wouldn't have been able to survive five years like that. Prompto has been, and still is, an immense help."

"That's great," Gladiolus said, smiling. "You're good for each other, even if it is kind of disgusting how sickeningly domestic you are."

"We spend half our time hunting daemons together then passing out in bed the moment we get back to our apartment, Gladio."

"That's what counts as domestic these days."

"Everything that isn't living off the land is domestic to you, Gladiolus the Restless."

He heard a scoff at the moniker. "Not you too. You have a nickname too, you know."

"Actually," Ignis said, looking thoughtful. "I don't."

"Really?" Gladiolus asked, surprised. "Then again, I don't think anyone would ever call you yours to your face. You're a pretty intidmiating guy."

Ignis feigned shock. "I'm blind and harmless."

"Yeah, that's only half right. You're blind, but you're definitely not harmless. You'd be dead by now if that were true." And sadly it was. The cruel world they now lived in did not tolerate weakness. Ignis had to work three times as hard as anyone else just to get by.

But that's how it's always been.

He's always had to be three times better than everyone else. It was nothing new.

"Anyway," Gladiolus continued. "People call you Assassin of the Night, Ignis Scientia."

"That's an awful name."

"I think it's hilarious."

"First of all, I'm not an assassin."

"Iggy, you use daggers and poison, and you kill things by stabbing them, preferably in the back, throwing pointy things at them, or spearing them from above. If you're not an assassin, the hell are you then?"

"This conversation is over."

Ignis couldn't see it, but he knew Gladiolus was making that face. That ridiculous, smug face he always had when he knew he won an argument. He'd cross his arms and look down on his defeated opponent, and radiate an aura of pure hubris that could almost be physically felt.

Absurd nickname aside, a part of Ignis was proud of himself that he was apparently doing well enough that the general population deigned him worthy of recognition. It made him feel better about the years they've been spending in this darkness, and the potential future years to come.

He wondered if Ardyn had hoped he would die quickly or spend his time cowering in fear. If he was, unfortunately for him, Ignis was not only surviving, but thriving. He had taken this hell Ardyn had trapped him in and taken control of it. He had taken control of his life, gotten back on his feet, and forged an existence where he was, given the circumstances, satisfied with himself.

That was the sweetest revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're gonna ask and the answer is yes: Prompto has a dumb nickname too and it's Iron Sights Argentum.
> 
> also you can't convince me secret royal assassin Ignis Scientia isn't canon


	13. Kingmaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival and departure.
> 
> Past and present.
> 
> Fear not the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok when i said there was no more sad stuff i lied i'm sorry

Ignis pursed his lips as he pressed the "end call" button on his phone, years of muscle memory telling him exactly where it was. Prompto opened his eyes and despite his very comfortable position of being naked and snuggled up to Ignis, pushed himself off the mattress and sat up.

"What was that?" he asked, concerned about the expression on his boyfriend's face. "That call sounded important."

"I..." Ignis said, and his expression changed to one of pure disbelief. "It's very unexpected but..."

"What?" Prompto urged. "Come on, you gotta tell me. It sounds like it's something big." He was dying of curiosity. Ignis was rarely at a loss for words, which meant when he was, something really shocking must have happened.

Ignis put his phone down on the nightstand table, where he usually left it.

"It seems that," he paused, and Prompto thought he was going to die. That was how he would leave this mortal plane, not from being ripped to shreds by a daemon, not from a slow, agonizing death via starvation, but because his own boyfriend (is boyfriend even the right term anymore? It's been so long Prompto would like to think they've progressed beyond that) kept stalling on telling him something and the anticipation was just too much for his poor, thirty-year-old heart. "it seems that Persephone has laid an egg."

"Holy shit."

It's been ages since anyone's seen a chocobo egg and some people were certain that chocobos had just stopped laying them altogether, the world too dangerous for them to attempt to hatch and raise young. This would be the first known case of a chocobo laying an egg in literal years. It was a minor miracle. They'd have to tell Sania about this.

"Who's the father?" Prompto asked.

"It's either Icarus or Helios, but the hunters at the stables aren't sure which."

"Makes sense," Prompto yawned, then started sinking back into bed, burying his face into his pillow. "Let's go see later." He then rolled over to press up against Ignis, trailing a hand up his chest. "Wanna go another round?"

A phone rang from the other side of the room and Prompto let out a pained noise as he realized it was his phone that was ringing this time. Reluctantly, he got up to retrieve it from the top of a dresser and briefly looked at the name. He recognized the contact, decided it was important enough to put his seduction attempt on hold, and swiped the screen to answer it.

A minute passed, with Prompto giving insightful replies like "what" and "are you serious" every few seconds, finally finishing with a "okay, see you soon" before hanging up.

"Change in plans," he said as he started scooping discarded clothes off the floor. "We have to go to Hammerhead right now. Literally now. Up."

"Why? Is Cindy in trouble?" Ignis asked. The only response he got was Prompto throwing his pants at him. "Prompto, what's this about?" He sounded worried.

Prompto paused his frantic flitting about the room to look at him with one leg in his pants. "That was Talcott."

Ignis waited for the rest.

"Noct's back."

The silence in the room was deafening as Prompto watched many expressions play out on Ignis' face at once. Shock, disbelief, and many others he couldn't identify, complex emotions that had no name to them. Finally, Ignis broke the silence and removed the oppressive feeling in the air.

"Holy shit."

* * *

They took a car out of Lestallum and drove at top speed towards Leide and towards Hammerhead. Unfortunately, the remaining cars in the world couldn't come even close to matching the top speed of the dearly departed Regalia (even before upgrades), meaning the trip still took a week. Each day they became more and more nervous as every mile they drove, they got closer to Hammerhead, which meant getting closer to the thing they've been awaiting for a decade.

It was actually quite frightening.

Every day for the past ten years, they kept telling themselves and each other "someday." That "someday" Noctis was going to return to the world to restore the light. And now "someday" was here, not a far off, vague promise in the future. Dawn was on the horizon.

And that, too, was scary for them, as over the years, they've become creatures of the night. They were beings that walked in the shadows and hunted the terrors that lurked in the darkness. The sun was a fond, but distant memory for them, and as silly as it was, there was a tiny, irrational fear that once the sun returned, it would be too strong and too intense and they'd disintegrate in its all-seeing light.

And yet, despite their fear, not once did they hesitate or look back. Noctis was a beacon, a silent signal in the night. He was an irresistible siren's song they had no choice but to listen to and answer his call. They were, after all, two men who had devoted their entire beings to him and unlike their memories of the day, their loyalty to him never once waned. Noctis needed them, and so they would be there by his side. It was a foregone conclusion dictated by both their nature and their choice.

They would burn up for him without hesitation.

Hammerhead appeared on the horizon, a blessed oasis in the dusty and dry Leidan countryside. Cindy was there to greet them, having gotten a call from Talcott herself. Gladiolus arrived sometime later, and all they could do was wait. Wait for the bright headlights of a truck incoming from the road that lead to the overrun and abandoned Galdin Quay. Prompto couldn't sit still, fidgeting and going over what he would say to Noctis in his mind over and over. Each time the words changed, and each time, they didn't sound right. Nothing he could come up with could adequately convey his feelings and he suspected the same was true for the other two men.

At last, after what felt like a year, the truck arrived. They had been sitting in what little open space was left in the diner. No one had looked out the window, nor did they hear the sound of its engine, but they knew, lifting their heads at the same time. There was no way they could not; this was the moment they've been waiting a decade for. Gladiolus was first out the door and Prompto followed him. Ignis lagged behind, not out of difficulty or hesitation, but because he no longer felt the need to hurry.

Noctis was there, and he wasn't going anywhere just yet.

Like them, Noctis had aged. He was no longer the baby faced, wide eyed prince of the past. His voice had deepened, his hair grown longer, his features chiseled out and a beard lightly framing his face.

He was the very image of a king.

They each greeted him in their own way, and Prompto felt a heavy ache in his heart when Noctis spoke to him directly. It grew heavier still as he watched Ignis and he knew Ignis was trying to prevent tears from falling down his face. He knew, because Prompto himself was struggling to do so as well. When Noctis' back was turned, he quickly wiped his eyes with his arm. He didn't want Noctis to see him cry, for this was supposed to be a happy reunion and he thought maybe if they all faked it hard enough, it would actually be one.

It was bittersweet at best, and they took a few days to prepare for the upcoming fight. They counted, then recounted their supplies, carried multiple sets of weapons, and drained the nearest deposits of magical energy dry. They changed their clothes, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio each to a set of Kingsglaive uniforms they had managed to salvage from the ruins of Insomnia before Ardyn's takeover of it and had tailored to fit them perfectly. Noctis wore the regalia fit for a true king, and the sight of him in it left Prompto speechless.

They set out with purpose, spent one last night camping together underneath a quiet sky. Ignis cooked, and before he had even pulled out a single pan, Prompto had already known what he was going to make. The Papa Bird and Baby Bowl dish, made with Basilisk meat, eggs, and rice. He knew because it was one of Noctis' favorites and not once in the eight or so years had Ignis been cooking in the darkness did he make it.

Ignis went the extra mile and made dessert as well, the legendary Tenebraean pastry he chased after for years because Noctis loved it.

They had a heartfelt talk after dinner, each man sharing words that had been left unsaid for a decade, perhaps even longer. Years worth of conversation, secrets, and confessions packed into only a few short hours.

"Prompto," Noctis said, and Prompto couldn't help but think he even _spoke_ like a king. "Are you and Ignis..."

"Still dating?" Prompto finished for him. "Yeah. Not gonna lie, we've had rough spots, but that's how these things always are. But we've stayed together all this time, even when we had to spend weeks apart."

"I'm surprised," Noctis answered and Prompto wondered why. Had he been expecting them to break up in the ten years? Did he think that they would fight and split or the circumstances would have made it too hard to maintain a relationship? Upon seeing his confused and worried expression, Noctis chuckled. Regally. "It's just I thought you two would have gotten married by now."

"Yeah, well, while _you_ were taking your ten year royal nap, the rest of us were busy being practical." Prompto frowned, crossing his arms. "Although I guess everyone basically considers us married anyway, but there isn't exactly a way for us to make it official. Holly's way too busy with things like _making sure people don't die_ and _not dying herself_ to have to worry about marriage licenses and establishing spousal benefits."

Noctis laughed out loud, and it was a beautiful sound echoing through the night. "Fair enough, but you two have no more excuses once the sun comes out."

"Ugh, _fine_ ," Prompto mock groaned. "I'll get over my imaginary fear of commitment and tie the knot with the guy I've been with for the past ten years."

"I still don't know how you managed to catch him," Noctis mused, sounding more like the Noctis of ten years ago. "Before you two oh-so-casually dropped that bomb on me and Gladio in Lestallum, I was pretty sure he had resigned himself to dying alone."

"For one, I ate all my vegetables like a good boy," Prompto answered. "Oh, I also said "thank you" whenever he did something nice for us. Also I talked to him a bunch and we did stuff together. You know, for fun. That's how relationships normally go."

He almost added more, something like "not all of us get to talk to our betrotheds via magic dog notebook," but he wisely cut himself off. He didn't want to, _could not_ bring up Lady Lunafreya. It would do nothing but hurt and distract his long lost friend right before the most critical battle of their lives.

* * *

Insomnia looked much like the day it was abandoned, a perfectly preserved monument to what was once the most impressive city in the world. Most of the buildings, while damaged, remained standing. Rusted cars lined the streets and abandoned shops still had merchandise displayed in their windows, the wares covered in layers of dust and faded over time.

There was no human life in the city, the population left in droves once the sun stopped coming up. With the Lucian government dissolved and no Empire occupying the city, things descended into chaos immediately. Many of the crown citizens didn't make it out. Some were killed when the daemons broke through. Others were killed by looters or panicked citizens. Still more simply sat in their homes quietly and calmly awaited death to come to them.

"Hey, uh, can we stop here for a moment?" Prompto asked as they passed a modest looking building.

"Where are we?" Ignis asked.

Gladiolus leaned in to answer quietly, "We're at the Argentums' residence." It wasn't quiet enough and Prompto heard it clearly. He knew where they were, of course. He was the one who asked they stop. But hearing it said out loud made the realization hit him all over again, and this time it was ten times as strong.

"Take all the time you need," Noctis said. "We can handle any daemons that show up." As Prompto approached the door, he turned the knob to find that it was unlocked. Even though it opened for him, he still looked to where his family had hidden the spare key underneath a brick in the garden. It was still there. Returning to the entrance, he opened the door for a second time and stepped inside.

The inside was dark and even though he knew it would do nothing, Prompto tried the light switch anyway. Years of living in an eternal night has sharpened his night vision, but Prompto switched on the light on his phone, sweeping it through the area as he took in the sights of his childhood home. Aside from the layers of dust, it was practically identical to how he remembered it.

He stepped through it slowly, careful to not disturb anything as if he were afraid that a single touch would make it all vanish before his eyes. The living room and the kitchen were normal. Unremarkable. He found the door to his room and opened it. There was his old bed. His desk. The mirror he would examine himself every day was still there, as were the pictures he had taken of himself in his younger years to track his weight loss progress still attached firmly to it. He went to his desk and opened a drawer.

The letter Lunafreya had sent him as a kid was still there. He picked it up, shook off the dust, brought it up to his nose, and breathed.

It still smelled like perfume. He always imagined this was what she'd smell like.

Prompto considered taking the letter with him. He once turned to this letter for encouragement whenever he was feeling hopeless. Its sweet scent would give him the strength to continue, an essential comfort item of his younger years. A promise of beautiful things in his future.

He replaced it exactly as he found it and closed the drawer.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was dead. She'd been dead for ten years. The dream it promised him, of one day meeting her, was never fulfilled, having died with her.

The letter didn't do anything for him anymore.

He'd since moved on.

He no longer needed its enticing smell to urge him to chase big dreams.

These days, his dreams were much more modest, and he needed no motivation to reach out for them.

But then he noticed something on his bed, a small envelope that was so normal looking, so unassuming that he had completely passed over it on his first inspection of the room. He reached over to pick it up to see his name written on it in neat script. He vaguely recognized the handwriting, but couldn't quite place it. Flipping it over, he opened it to pull out a single folded piece of paper. Prompto sat down on his bed, sending a layer of dust flying into the air, but he didn't care. He held his phone above the paper to read it.

> To our dearest Prompto,
> 
> We're sorry we never were able to contact you. When the Empire took over, they confiscated the phones of everyone related to the royal family and their servants, which included us. We were also put under surveillance and entry and exit to the city was tightly controlled.
> 
> They told us that Prince Noctis is dead, that you are dead, but we don't believe that. We know you are alive and that you're doing your best to protect the Prince.
> 
> News that the Empire has fallen has just reached the city. Insomnia is on the verge of collapse. Daemons have begun to overrun the city.
> 
> We have chosen to stay here and wait for you. We are sorry we couldn't be there for you for most of your life, and so we want to be here when you return.
> 
> We don't know if you will ever see this letter, but if you do, please know that we are proud of you and the man you've become.
> 
> Prompto, wherever you are, we hope you're happy.
> 
> Love,
> 
> Mom and Dad

Letter in hand, Prompto rushed out of his room into the one his parents' shared.

Nobody was there. It was abandoned, save for two sets of rumpled clothes on the bed.

Prompto laughed through his tears. What was he expecting? To see his mom and dad waiting for him? Sitting in the dark perfectly safe after ten years? How stupid.

"My baby."

Prompto immediately stopped crying and lifted his head. Briefly, memories of Fociaugh Hollow played in his mind.

"My baby has come home."

He took a step back. In front of him, two puddles of darkness appeared in the floor. An ereshkigal emerged from one, a naga from the other.

Prompto ran. The ereshkigal followed him out the door. The naga crashed through it, her huge body just barely able to slip through. Prompto ran down the hallway and through the living room, leaving out the front door and slamming it behind him. He looked desperately for his friends and found them fighting off a small group of daemons in the street.

Ignis had a bussemand impaled on his spear and he turned to face Prompto as it dissipated into miasma.

"Prompto?"

Before Prompto could answer, the front door to his house burst open, the two daemons that were behind it spilling out into the open.

"More!?" Gladiolus snarled before lifting his shield to block an attack from a yojimbo as Noctis circled around to jab it in the back with a spear. "Shit, you two are on your own; we're kinda busy here!"

Ignis rushed to put himself between Prompto and the two daemons. Through the years, Ignis had been employing more and more ranged techniques in the form of throwing both his daggers and his lances, but his melee capabilities were just as sharp as they were in the past. When it came to hunting daemons, sometimes alone, one needed to be prepared to get up close and personal with them. The way he fought, it was almost as if he weren't blind at all.

Ignis and Prompto fell into a rhythm automatically. They've been a daemon slaying duo for years and fighting with just the two of them was just business as usual. Ignis swapped seamlessly between his daggers and his spears, keeping both daemons at bay while Prompto took potshots from a distance, constantly moving to make it harder for either daemon to keep track of him. If one tried to rush him, it was punished for its efforts by one of Ignis' daggers in its back.

The ereshkigal was the first to go down, defeated when Prompto rushed in and sliced through it using the Circular Saw. He grimaced as he did, and he felt sinful doing it, like he was committing a horrible crime. The daemon shrieked as it died and Prompto kept his face as stern as he possibly could. Meanwhile, Ignis had managed to inflict multiple wounds on the naga and she was on her last legs. Or, she would be if she _had_ legs. She hissed at him.

"How dare you steal my baby!?"

Prompto shuddered.

Unaffected by the accusation, Ignis used the blunt end of his spear to knock her over and stabbed it through her body to keep her pinned. The naga shrieked and writhed furiously and Ignis' only response was to summon another spear and repeat the process, pinning down the other half of her body, rendering her completely immobile.

Silently, Prompto walked up to the naga and pointed his gun directly to at her forehead.

"My...baby..." she gurgled.

 _Bye, Mom,_ he thought. _I love you, too._

And then he pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Ignis asked for the third time as they walked ever closer to the Citadel.

"I am," Prompto answered for the third time, albeit subdued.

"I'm sorry. I should have gone in with you," Ignis said.

"You couldn't have known."

There was an uncomfortable silence that Prompto just had to break.

"Mom and Dad left me a letter," he said. He had said letter tucked up safely inside an inner pocket of his Kingsglaive uniform. "They stayed in Insomnia until the end."

"I see," Ignis responded, and Prompto was pretty sure he had figured it out.

"They weren't my parents," Prompto said. "Not anymore."

Before anyone could say anything else, a wave of intense heat blew through the area and a fiery throne blazed into existence before them. Ifrit the Infernian, the Betrayer, was here to stand...or rather, sit in their way.

"We'll talk later," Ignis said as they readied their weapons.

* * *

They knew Noctis was dead, not because the sun rose, but because the pull they felt towards him had ceased, and with his death came the return of the day and a liberation from their duty as Crownsguard and Kingsglaive, for the first time, truly free to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.

They chose to find him, and when they did, his body was seated upon the Lucian throne looking serene and peaceful.

They bowed their heads low and cried not for the True King, but for Noctis, the man they loved dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this would be the end but there's an epilogue next hooray


	14. That Wonderful Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And in the sea of stars, you'll find him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite a ride! But here we are, a month later, and this fanfic is now FINISHED. This is the fastest I've ever written anything, and I want to thank everyone for their support.

Prompto let out a satisfying sigh as he put down the cardboard box he had been carrying onto the brand new dining room table that was still covered in protective plastic wrap.

"Well," he said. "that just about does it. Home sweet home."

"We still need to unpack," Ignis reminded him, for civilized people do not live out of moving boxes. There was so much more that still needed to be done: the dishes had to be opened and put into the cabinets, their clothes needed to go into the closets, books that needed to go onto the brand new shelves, and the pictures that had to be tastefully placed around the house.

There were a lot of pictures. So many pictures. And that was _after_ Ignis had convinced Prompto to cut down on the number of them.

Prompto gave a dismissive wave of his hand even though the gesture was lost on Ignis. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm running on empty here, Iggy. And so are you, don't even try to pretend you're not."

Of course he was. Even the seemingly tireless Ignis needed a break after a small, but elaborate wedding, an Altissian honeymoon, and the stress and physical labor of moving. They could have stayed in Lestallum. Holly offered them a beautiful place that had a gorgeous view overlooking the cliffs. Or at least that's what Prompto had said about the view from their window. It was lovely, and for perhaps any other people it would have been perfect. But as nice as it was, they had to turn it down.

There was only one place they could truly call home and that was Insomnia. While a year wasn't nearly enough time to restore it, people could start slowly moving back in. It would be many years more before the city would be back to the state it was before the Niflheim invasion, but all the basic services were back up running. Citizens new and old were starting to trickle in and it included people of all nationalities from all over the world: Lucian, Accordan, Tenebraean, Galahadan, and yes, even Niflheim. The former Empire was still in ruins, with many of its former population refusing to go back after suffering years of oppression and wanting a new start in their lives. While some may still hold old grudges, Ignis didn't blame them. After all, it was not the people of Niflheim that had caused problems: it was their corrupt Emperor and his cohorts.

Given more time, Insomnia would be fully rebuilt and Ignis knew that this new Insomnia would far surpass the Insomnia of the past.

Their new home was the penthouse suite on the fifteenth floor of a newly repaired and renovated building, spacious and luxurious. More than enough room for them to live comfortably and host parties. It was offered to them for a most generous price from the builder and there was no way they could pass it up.

"You've caught me," Ignis chuckled as he reached out to take hold of one of Prompto's hands, pull him closer, and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'm completely exhausted. Shall we order in tonight?"

"Whoa, take out?" Prompto laughed. "Now I _know_ you're tired."

They ordered from a Lestallum-style restaurant that had opened up recently. It brought back memories of their ten years in the darkness and even now, the sun rising every morning was a thing of wonder for them. They unwrapped the dining table and pulled out a few plates. The food was good, but Ignis thought he could do better. But they didn't get this for taste. They got it because neither of them really felt like cooking that night.

There was a knock at the door and after peeking through the peephole, Prompto opened it to let the visitor in.

"Hey, Marshal," he greeted. "What brings you to our humble adobe?"

"You can stop using my rank," Cor said. "I'm no longer the leader of an army and haven't been for some time."

"Sorry, bad habit," Prompto said. To him, and to Ignis, Cor would always be Marshal Cor Leonis the Immortal, much to the man's dismay. "But seriously, to what do we owe the visit?"

Cor took a look around at the apartment. Some pieces of furniture were still covered and a dozen moving boxes were scattered in seemingly random areas of the place. "Your new home is nice. Actually, I'm here to deliver this." He held out an ornate envelope with their names handwritten in it in beautiful script. Prompto took it and recognized it as Monica's handwriting.

"Fancy," he commented.

"Monica didn't know what last names to use," Cor said, a bit awkwardly. "So we hope you don't mind us using what you guys always had."

"It's cool," Prompto said as he opened the envelope, taking out a card that was inside.

"Technically, it's supposed to be Argentum-Scientia," Ignis added. "But that's a mouthful so shortening it is fine."

"Are you sure neither of you want to work in the Citadel?" Cor asked. A temporary government was in place for running Lucis with Cor at the helm until something more permanent was decided on. "We definitely could use the help of experienced men like you two."

"We're flattered at the offer, but we must decline at this time," Ignis said. "We both could use a break and we've decided on a new career path." He paused before adding, "However, we don't mind helping you out whenever you need it."

"If that's what you've decided," Cor said, sounding a bit disappointed. "But if you two ever change your minds, there's always places for both of you with us. If you don't mind me asking, what are you two going to do?"

Ignis lifted a hand to touch the dog tag around his neck. "Hunting. Are you familiar with Dave Auburnbrie?" He waited for Cor to give an affirmation. "He recently became the new leader of the Meldacio hunters and is interested in establishing a branch in Insomnia. Prompto and I have agreed to help get it started."

They've already found some interested parties. The survivors of the eternal night were a hardy, tough bunch and hunter membership had swelled during the time. It was inevitable that Dave would eventually need to create a splinter; it had grown much too large for Meldacio alone to handle. Aranea was one volunteer, and with her came Biggs and Wedge, who were happy to take care of the logistical and administrative work. Ignis was glad for it, for without them the job would have fallen to him.

He much preferred to be in the field.

"By the way, Prompto," He asked. "What was in the envelope?"

"It's an invitation," Prompto answered. "To Cor and Monica's wedding."

"Goodness," Ignis said. Another wedding? They already had to go to Gladiolus' next month.

"It's not for another three months," Cor said. "But Monica wanted to send out the invitations as soon as possible."

"You could have just mailed them out," Prompto pointed out. "But I guess that's not a very you thing to do. You're always on the move. You are so lucky Monica puts up with that."

Cor gave a laugh, saying he was very aware of how fortunate he was that Monica was so understanding of him and his nature. "She keeps tabs on me, and she does just fine without me there to bother her. If you'll excuse me, I have more of these to deliver."

They both gave a wave and Cor was gone, just as quickly as he arrived. Prompto closed the door behind him and walked to the other side of the unit, opening a sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. Ignis followed him, feeling the cool evening breeze on his face.

"How does it look?" he asked.

"The view's amazing," Prompto said. "We're way up high- uh, obviously you already knew that, but you can see a lot from here. The Citadel is way over there, to the right. Here, let me just..." he paused to grab Ignis' arm and point it in the correct direction. "There. Got that? Alright, below us is the park. The trees are kind of small, but they're still growing, and the grass is really green. I can also see the pond from here. There's a lot of other tall buildings all around it and a bunch of windows in each one are lit up."

"What else is there?"

"Uh, well the sky is completely clear tonight. You can see a lot of stars. More than you used to see in the old Insomnia. I guess that'll go down once the city gets more active and there's a lot more lights and stuff, but for now, it's really nice."

"It sounds wonderful," Ignis sighed, pressing himself closer to Prompto. He'd never be able to see it with his own eyes, but that's alright. Prompto painted a beautiful enough image of it in his head and if there's one thing Ignis has learned over the years about his disability, it's that he doesn't need his eyes. He definitely missed them, but it was not the life ending debilitation he had once thought it was. He no longer spent his days wishing his sight will return and he knew he could live the rest of his life without it.

Prompto's hand let go of his to snake around his waist and pull him tight. Now that the dust has settled on everything, reconstruction efforts well on the way, wedding done and over with, moving (almost) complete, Ignis finally had a chance to slow down and think for the first time in the past year, undisturbed by things that need his attention or by Prompto greedily being a distraction. At twenty-two, if asked where he would be in ten years, Ignis would have answered that he would be standing in the Lucian throne room at Noctis' side, tirelessly advising the king on whatever matter was next on the agenda. He would have even bigger responsibilities than he did when Noctis was just the mere Crown Prince. He would have infinite stacks of papers to read, countless subordinates updating him on situations and an endless line of decisions to make daily. He would be one of the most powerful and successful men in Eos.

Now that those ten years (plus one) have gone by, he simply lived in a (lavish) apartment with his husband and intended to have a much less glamorous, but much more exciting and fulfilling job as a senior hunter and use his free time reading braille, listening to music and audiobooks, spending time with friends, and cooking. He might not be the most powerful man on the planet and time would tell if he was successful or not, but he was respected and happy, and that was enough for him.

He decided he liked this outcome better.

"It's cold," Prompto complained, and Ignis decided to not bring up that the fact that Prompto was wearing a sleeveless tanktop might have something to do to that. "I'm going to go inside and start a fire in the fireplace." His arm left Ignis' side and he went back in, leaving the sliding door open behind him.

As he wasn't cold, because he dressed _appropriately_ for the early autumn weather, Ignis looked upward, at the starry sky that he couldn't see with his eyes, but he could picture clearly in his mind. He imagined it to be a dark blue, almost purple color with hundreds of tiny lights in the sky. A true night, not the suffocating darkness that had covered the world for a decade.

He wondered if his king was watching them. Watching from the sky and the other side. He wondered where Noctis was. What was he doing? Fishing, most likely, but what was it like in the afterlife? What did he think when he looked back into the land of the living and saw the current state of the world? Ignis hoped he was satisfied with it and that he didn't feel that his sacrifice was in vain. He wished he could talk to Noctis again and tell him everything that's happened in the past year. He wanted to tell him about the reconstruction of Insomnia, Accordo, and Tenebrae, about what a lovely woman Gladiolus' fiancée was and how quickly she became a part of their social group. He wanted to tell him about the chick that hatched from Persephone's egg and that Prompto's been dropping not-so-subtle hints about how he wants a cat.

Ignis wanted to tell Noctis how happy he was. A real, true happiness. How the source of his happiness was, for once, himself. It's a feeling he never knew was missing from his life and how it took a cross country trek across Lucis then an ill fated voyage to Altissia to realize it. Ignis only wished he had been able to see it sooner, then perhaps he could have spent his younger years with considerably less stress.

 _Younger years._ Ha. Did he really think himself as an old man? He was only thirty-three, and yet, he felt like he did an entire lifetime's worth of learning in the darkness.

A loud swear from inside the apartment caught his attention and Ignis rushed back in, tripping over an ottoman that he forgot was there and falling ungracefully onto his face. He'd probably have a scraped knee in the morning, but right now he had a more important thing to worry about.

"Prompto!?" he called as he pushed himself up off the floor and readjusted his glasses. "Prompto, are you alright!?"

"Fine!" came a squeak from the fireplace and Ignis found Prompto when his foot collided with his husband sitting flat on his rear on the floor in front of a lit fireplace. "Okay, so, you're not gonna believe this, but I was trying to get the fire going but the match wouldn't light up. So I was thinking, "fire, come on, _fire_ " and do you know what happened, Iggy? Do you?"

Prompto paused and Ignis realized he was supposed to say something. "I do not."

" _Fire_ just appeared from my fingertips! Suddenly, _fwoosh_ , just like that! I was so surprised I jumped up and hit my head on the mantle and that's what you heard."

Ignis was speechless for a moment, then said, "Are you saying you used magic?" No, that wasn't possible. Only the Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret families could naturally use magic, and with the dying of those lines, so too, did magic from the grasp of the human race. But Prompto wasn't a liar, and even if he got excitable, he knew what he saw.

Prompto nodded, remembered Ignis was blind, then said yes. Ignis reconsidered his thoughts.

Maybe magic was possible after all. He made his way to the box containing their glasses and retrieved one, going to the kitchen then held his hand over it. He thought about coldness. Ice. He thought of Shiva and how Prompto would probably appreciate a glass of ice water right now.

Something cold actually did form in his hand and dropped right into the glass with a clinking sound.

Well then.

Ignis took the glass to the sink to fill it with water and brought to glass to Prompto, who took it gratefully, but was probably also staring at him like he had grown a second head.

"I saw, that, Ignis, that was totally magic."

"It was," Ignis agreed, and ever thirsty for knowledge, he wondered what any of this meant. Prompto knew what he was thinking and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll think about it tomorrow, after we unpack. I'm too tired to ponder the mysteries of magic right now and I remember you saying you were tired, too." Prompto gulped down the last of the water and put the glass on the nearby coffee table, pressing his cold lips to Ignis' neck, making him shudder. "Let's go to bed." And then Prompto had one of Ignis' hands in his own, pulling him into the bedroom and pushing him onto the bed. After taking a few minutes to remove his contacts, Prompto joined him, immediately snuggled up to Ignis, and was unconscious within minutes.

Rest, however, wasn't coming to Ignis easily, the revelation of magic keeping him awake. Prompto was right, of course. There was no way they could figure anything out right now and on their own. This was going to require a huge investigation and that would have to wait. The entire world was focused on recovering from the decade of darkness. There was no time or funding to launch a scientific study into magic.

So instead, he let his mind drift to Prompto, who was fast asleep and clinging to him like a teddy bear. When they first met, all those years ago, Ignis would have never imagined this man ever becoming a major part of his life, much less be the person he'd ultimately marry. That was another reason Ignis wished he could talk to Noctis again. He wanted to thank him for introducing Prompto to him. Ever since his blinding, Ignis could imagine a great many things, but one thing he couldn't imagine was his life without Prompto. He shuddered to think how things would have gone without Prompto there to support him. Ignis figured the answer would probably be lying dead in a ditch sometime after Altissia.

Maybe Gladiolus was right and he was overdramatic.

Like Prompto said, this wasn't a mystery that was going to be solved in a day, and with that reassurance, Ignis, at last, drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he could see, and he dreamt that he was talking to Noctis at the edge of a fishing wharf that jutted out into the night sky. Fish made of light danced beneath their feet and the sky itself seemed to ripple like water.

When Ignis found him, Noctis looked ethereal. He looked like his young, twenty-year-old self again, but there was an unmistakable otherworldly quality to him. He had a serene, dreamy expression on his face as if he was a man completely at peace with himself. He moved with a definite grace he never had when he was alive and his eyes glowed an unnatural blue. Stars shone in his black hair and when he walked, Ignis could see the warm orange and yellow glow of the morning sky in his footprints, the sun's rays shining through before the footfalls faded after a few seconds. By Noctis' side, at his feet, was a curious greenish blue four legged creature, something like a tiny dog with huge ears and a spike made of brilliant ruby protruding from its head. Noctis introduced it as Carbuncle, and Ignis recognized its form as being similar to the precious figurine Noctis would always keep with him.

Ignis told Noctis everything he wanted to say. He spoke rapidly, as if he felt their time together was limited and he wanted to make sure he didn't have to leave anything out. The poor king could barely get in a word edgewise before eventually just giving up and letting Ignis talk to his heart's content.

"...and just today," Ignis said after a very long time. "Prompto and I...we used magic. Only your family and that of Lady Lunafreya's are supposed to be able to use it. Do you know anything about that, Noct?"

Noctis shrugged, and when he did, the stars in his hair shifted with the movement. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything. I'm dead."

"I'm glad you're just as useless as ever," Ignis replied dryly. His phone buzzed, and Ignis cursed that even in his dreams, he couldn't escape being messaged all the time. He had hoped that getting out of government would help with that, but it had done little to stop the frequent buzzing and beeping of his phone.

> **Carbuncle:** You said you used magic?
> 
> **Carbuncle:** That's interesting!
> 
> **Carbuncle:** This is just a theory, but...
> 
> **Carbuncle:** It might be BECAUSE the Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret lines are now extinct!
> 
> **Carbuncle:** It took a year, but magic probably spread to you and Prompto, and it'll likely spread to others as well. Maybe you should ask Gladiolus if he can do it too.
> 
> **Carbuncle:** Humans are adept and powerful creatures, why shouldn't you be able to use magic? Maybe your race is just now starting to realize its full potential!

"Noct, your pet just text messaged me."

"Yeah, he does that."

"He doesn't even have a phone." Ignis' phone buzzed again and he looked at the screen. "Noct, he just sent me a tonberry emoji."

Noctis rolled his glowing blue eyes. "Look, you're dreaming you're talking to me while standing on a pier in the middle of the sky, which is also a sea, and _this_ is what's bothering you? I can't believe you're a real person sometimes. Ugh, I gotta go; you're _this_ close to waking up. See you another time, okay, Specs? Say hi to Prompto for me." With a wave, Noctis turned around to walk off the edge of the wharf, Carbuncle following at his heels. Just as he was about to step off and fall into the water, he and Carbuncle faded away into thin, light blue trails of light that flew up higher into the sky and vanished.

Ignis, too, turned around, and the whole world shifted around him, blurring and undulating until he found himself back in bed, looking right into Prompto's face.

Except he knew this was still a dream, because this was the Prompto of eleven years ago, when he was younger and he didn't have that silly goatee. They were in Altissia and Ignis realized they weren't in their own bed, but in the bed at the Leville. Dream Prompto was propping himself on his elbows, hovering right over Ignis' face and they were staring into each others' eyes.

Ignis knew his line, even though he felt groggy. He smiled. "Good morning," he uttered lazily.

"Morning," Prompto returned, and gave him a wonderful smile full of purity and affection.

Ignis woke up again, and he was blind once more. However, sightless as it was, his right eye could detect the morning light filtering in through the window. He reached out a hand and his fingers touched what he knew to be Prompto's face.

Prompto groaned and opened his eyes halfway. "Mmm...Iggy? Ugh, where did I put my glasses?"

"Good morning. Your glasses are on the nightstand," Ignis replied and ran his fingertips all over Prompto's face. He's done this countless times over the years, but this time he did it as if it were the first time, tracing the shapes of Prompto's features, along his cheeks, carefully avoiding his eyes, down his nose, and across that still silly goatee. His fingers found Prompto's mouth, his lips pulled into a smile.

And Ignis imagined it to be just like his dream. Just like his most precious memory of all. The exact same smile that Prompto had eleven years ago when he was just twenty years old. That wonderful smile.

He'd never see it again.

But as long as he remembered it, it will never truly be gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I want to thank each and every person who took the time to read this fanfic! You can find me on Tumblr [here](http://shiningkestral.tumblr.com), feel free to say hi.
> 
> My next fanfic is already in the works. It'll be another Promnis, alongside Gladnoct, completely unrelated to this one. Please be on the lookout for _Insomnia Shuffle_ coming out soon. Ish. I don't have an exact timeframe tbh, but it won't be long.
> 
> For now though, I've got schoolwork that needs to be done.
> 
> See you guys later!


End file.
